Vanished

Brides of the Kindred # 21

Evangeline Anderson

Vanished

Evangeline Anderson

PUBLISHED BY:

Evangeline Anderson Books

Copyright © 2018 by Evangeline Anderson

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*Cover content is for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted on the cover is a model*

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*Author's Note: This book starts out a little dark but give it time and I promise everything will come out in the end.

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Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Epilogue #1

Epilogue # 2

Sneak Peek at Taming the Giant, a new Kindred Tales novel

Also by Evangeline Anderson

About the Author

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Prologue

Sovereign Ysldred X’izith of the Hive paced back and forth, stopping every once in a while to stare into the bright green stone, about as large as a human palm.

The picture the stone showed was clear—a female sitting alone, staring into the horizon with a thoughtful look on her face. She had light brown skin and long curly hair—she was most lovely for an Earth female, he decided.

Not that it was her beauty which interested him. This female was special—a ten’sora—the only one they’d been able to find on Earth. Once they had hoped to find many more—dozens or even hundreds—but though X’izith had sent out scout after scout to collect DNA samples, this girl was the only one.

Never mind—he only needed one.

“Are we nearly ready? Is the scout in place?” he demanded of the sentient worker who was buzzing nearby.

“Yes, my Sovereign. And we have found a suitable host at last. Once the scout stings him and injects him with the mind-control venom, he will take the E’lo stone to the girl and she will be instantly transported.”

“And you’re certain the stones will work?” X’izith demanded. The theft of the Druvian E’lo stones had been a risky enterprise—one which had yet to pay off. He had finally been able to bend the green stone—the seer stone—to his will so that it showed him what he wanted to see instead of random images. But the small purple transport stones had only recently been declared functional.

He needed the transport stones to work—it was the only way to bring the girl to him—the only way to circumvent the protective energy net those damn Kindred had placed around the Earth to keep it safe. Nothing larger than an insect could get through the net but that was all right—X’izith specialized in insects, being one himself.

If an Earthling was to see him, they might think he most resembled a cross between a cockroach and a wasp, with the long hard shell-like wings of the former and the narrow waist and stinger of the latter. His head, bulbous and triangular, resembled that of an ant with its curving, serrated mandibles, mobile, twitching antennae, and huge black, soulless eyes. His entire body was shiny black, slashed with crimson, and his long, chitinous legs were lined with coarse, wiry hairs and tipped with gripping claws.

Regrettably, he was missing one of his long, thin arms and one eye was only an empty socket. The long, insectile abdomen at the bottom of his body was twisted with scar tissue and his black breeding barb, once so sleek and deadly, now appeared withered.

These injuries were the results of a battle with one of the Kindred—a male who had stolen his rightful Breeding-Queen, she who was to have born the legion of royal grubs X’izith was eager to implant.

And implant them he would, he vowed to himself. Though his barb was withered, it was yet functional. The girl the E’lo seer stone was showing him would be the mother of a new race—she would bear the royal grubs and then many, many more…

“Release the scout,” he told the worker at his side. “And be certain that the transport stone is ready. It must touch her skin to take effect.”

“Yes, my Sovereign,” the worker buzzed.

“Soon…” X’izith mused to himself as he stared into the green seer stone. “Soon you will be here with me, my dear.”

On the Breeding platform beside him the twin of the transport stone lay. It was small and purple and perfectly innocuous looking. The E’lo stones had originally been made to allow two similar individuals to switch places instantly from anywhere in the universe. But this particular pair had been calibrated to bring one special female aboard his lair, transporting her in the blink of an eye from Earth to the special base he and his workers had built under the mountains of Mars.

The Breeding Chamber was in readiness, supplied with oxygen and warmed by the light and heat generated by special workers whose abdomens glowed dull red as they supplied both.

The little Earth female should feel quite at home.

“Soon,” X’izith buzzed again. “Soon the royal nurseries will be full and the Hive will live forever.”

The Nameless Ones, Gods of Nothingness, grant it should be so.

Chapter One

It was the middle of January so of course, Harper Wilde was at the beach.

January—and parts of February—were really the only decent months to visit the beach, in Harper’s opinion. Living in Tampa, it was much too hot and humid the rest of the year. She always felt sorry for the summer tourists who came to Florida to do the theme parks—Busch Gardens and Disney and Universal—in July and August. The weather then was pretty much unbearable. You’d melt into a little puddle standing in line to get into Harry Potter Land or the Small World ride.

So not worth it.

In fact, the only way to live during summer—which was about ten months out of the year in Central Florida—was to run from your air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned house or office and just try to stay inside. Which was a shame, since Florida had some beautiful outside areas—most notably the white sand beaches.

The beach was Harper’s favorite place to be—when it wasn’t broiling outside. And January was her favorite time of year. The crazy hustle and bustle of the holidays was over, it wasn’t unbearably hot yet, and hurricane season was eight blissful months away. (It had been an especially bad season this past year so Harper was extra grateful for that.)

She liked to come to the beach all by herself at this time of the year and just relax and reflect on her life. Think about goals for the coming year—maybe lose some weight, (she was definitely plus-sized)—get into some charity work, join a book club…

Maybe try to get involved in a lasting, mature, adult relationship with a man who’s serious about his future, whispered a little voice in her head.

Then again, maybe she should take a little more time off before diving into the dating pool again. Breaking up with her fiancé, Jareth, last year had been pretty rough, especially since her entire family had expected her to settle down and start having babies with him.

But how could she have babies with a man-child who was barely more mature than a baby himself? The moment they’d moved in together, Jareth had lost all motivation towards helping out in any way around the house. He refused to help cook or clean or even wash his own clothes. He never wanted to take Harper out anymore either—even when she was paying. All he wanted to do was sit around all day playing Call of Duty and World of Warcraft with his online friends, drinking beer and eating greasy takeout pizza.

After six months of this, Harper had woken up to reality. Her fiancé was never going to change and she was basically nothing to him but a maid service with sexual benefits. She’d given back his ring, packed her bags, and moved back to her mom’s place that same day, thanking God that she hadn’t put her name on the lease.

Let Jareth find someone else to wait on him hand and foot—she had better things to do with her life.

And one thing you ought to be doing right now is finding a new apartment. You can’t stay with mom forever, you know.

Harper sighed as she picked up a shell and threw it into the softly rustling waves lapping along the coastline. The sea breeze blew briskly through her long, curly hair and the seagulls were crying monotonously overhead. Her mom had prevailed on her to stay through the holidays but now it was time to get her own place again. She was a grown-ass woman in her thirties after all. And anyway, the atmosphere at home was a little too thick lately.

Her last little brother had gone off to college this past fall which left nobody but her mom and her stepdad, Declan, at home. Declan wasn’t mean and he seemed devoted to her mom but he hadn’t come on the scene until Harper was ten—a little late for bonding, so they’d never really gotten close. Plus, her mom was always moaning about how she wasn’t getting any younger and she wanted grandbabies.

Sometimes Harper thought her mom was more upset about the breakup with Jareth than Harper was herself. Her ex-fiancé might have been lazy and shiftless but he would have worked just fine as a sperm donor.

“I want kids—I just want to have them with another responsible adult,” Harper muttered to herself, throwing another shell into the waves. “If I’d gotten pregnant with Jareth I would have had two babies to look after, not just one.”

She sighed. She’d put her career first for long enough and she’d reaped the benefits of her hard work and sacrifice. Despite being a woman—and a woman of color at that—she’d risen quite high as a marketing exec at HCP & Associates. High enough that she could take a breather and have a kid or two if she wanted—if she could find the right man to have them with, that was.

As her mom was always reminding her, the clock was ticking on that one. And Harper had to admit she was right, even if her constant harping on the subject did get on Harper’s nerves. It would be better to have babies in her early thirties, rather than in her forties when she’d probably have to start worrying about fertility treatments.

Why couldn’t she meet the right guy—a guy who was serious and responsible—someone with a no-nonsense approach to life? Sure, Harper knew it was the opposite of what practically every romantic comedy ever written told women they should want.

A woman was supposed to look for a man with a sense of humor. Someone who would make spontaneous gestures like dancing in the rain and bringing her flowers at midnight. Someone who would make her laugh with his unpredictable wit.

But she’d had all that with Jareth, and she’d found that wild, funny personality had also come with a marked inability to see the dirty dishes in the sink or to put down the damn toilet seat.

Harper wanted someone steady—someone serious, she told herself. Someone practical who knew what the hell he was doing and had a clear vision of what he wanted in the future.

Little did she know how soon she would get exactly that…and how much she’d regret wishing for it.

But for now, blissfully ignorant, she threw another shell into the ocean and absently scratched her upper arm. She’d been stung there by the strangest looking wasp the other day—it had been as long as her thumb, its body a bright, shiny, almost metallic green—and its wings had been a blur of gold and black.

The sting had resulted in a painful lump which still hadn’t gone down completely even though it had been two days since the wasp had landed on her arm. It was red and slightly raised on her café au lait skin, and it itched from time to time.

Harper’s mother wanted her to go to a doctor and get it checked but Harper was in no hurry. Yes, the wasp had been weird, like no kind she’d ever seen before, but this was Florida. You could walk out in your backyard and find ten bugs you’d never seen before on any given day—if you wanted to, which Harper, having no entomological interests, did not. Plus it didn’t really hurt and she didn’t want to spend one of her precious days off from work sitting in a doctor’s waiting room.

The lump would go down eventually. She wasn’t allergic to bee stings or anything so she would be fine, Harper told herself, scratching again. It wasn’t like a wasp sting would ruin her life.

“Hi there. How are you doing?”

Shading her eyes against the sun, Harper looked up to see who was talking.

A nice-looking guy wearing red shorts and a lifeguard shirt—a white tank top with a big red cross on it—was smiling down at her. He had skin about the color of her own warm, creamy brown although it was difficult to tell from his features if he was Latino or mixed like her. She wondered if he got the same kinds of questions about his heritage that she got about hers

Harper’s father had been white and her mother was black, which accounted for Harper’s café au lait skin tones, jade green eyes, and long, corkscrew curls that were a lush toffee brown. It was an unusual enough combination that she’d regularly been asked if she was adopted when she was young—a question which had long since stopped hurting her heart though it still annoyed her deeply.

Well, at least he’s not white—Mom would approve.

Her mother, who had certain trust issues after Harper’s father had left when Harper was just five, was always warning her to “stick with her own kind.” Harper didn’t bother pointing out that since she was mixed, her own kind should be anyone she was attracted to. Still, to appease her mother she mostly dated inside the African American community.

“Hi,” she said, smiling up at the lifeguard. “I’m not in any danger of drowning, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

The lifeguard—who she estimated to be quite a bit younger than her own thirty years but what the hell, a cute guy was a cute guy—scratched the back of his neck and frowned, in a confused kind of way.

“No, I didn’t think you were drowning. I just saw you and, well…I really wanted to come talk to you.”

He crouched down in the sand beside her, his mild brown eyes looking handsome, if a little puzzled.

Harper felt a little wary. He might be a lifeguard but he was still a man and she was a woman alone on a deserted beach. Was he going to try something? She thought of the small pocket knife attached to her key ring at the bottom of her wide straw beach bag. But he just sat there, smiling at her in a calm, almost zenned-out kind of way.

“Okay, well…I’m flattered I guess,” she said. “But I kind of like to be alone at the beach. It’s a meditation kind of thing—you know, thinking over the old year and making New Year’s resolutions? That kind of thing.”

“Sure, I understand. I’ll leave you alone—I just thought you might like this.”

He opened his hand and Harper caught her breath.

A deep purple stone, about the size and shape of an M&M candy, sparkled in his palm.

“Wow…what is it?” she murmured.

He shrugged and scratched the back of his neck again.

“Don’t know. I just found it in the sand and thought you should have it. A pretty stone for a pretty lady, right?”

It was a cheesy pickup line but Harper found herself charmed all the same. The lifeguard guy really was cute, in a multi-ethnic boy-next-door kind of way. Plus, she hadn’t dated anyone since she’d broken it off with Jareth and it had been a long dry spell.

Going without physical affection was hard on Harper. She was old enough and confident enough to know exactly what she wanted in bed and she craved it when she didn’t get it. While Mr. Lifeguard with the cheesy pickup line and the pretty purple rock was probably a bit young and inexperienced for her, Harper thought he looked teachable. She’d never been into one-night stands but maybe—

She’d started reaching for the stone automatically as she thought all this, but as her fingertips brushed the lifeguard guy’s arm, she got a sudden flash she couldn’t explain.

His mild brown eyes disappeared and she saw bulging compound eyes instead. His face was suddenly insectile…wedge shaped…alien. Twitching antennae sprouted from his forehead and cruel, serrated mandibles curved from his lower jaw. They clacked menacingly as the strange, bug-like face leaned towards her own.

Gasping, Harper drew her hand back as though she’d been burned.

“Hey, is everything okay?” The lifeguard guy was back, a look of mild concern on his blandly handsome features.

“Just…just fine.” Harper laughed nervously. What was wrong with her? Had the Starbuck’s frappuccino she’d had on the way to the beach this morning been spiked with something?

Whatever the reason for the strange flash, she abruptly lost all interest in the nice-looking lifeguard guy. The sexual stirrings she’d been feeling were doused completely—as though someone had thrown an ice-cold bucket of water over her head. Now all she wanted was to get away from him.

“Look,” she said, scooting back to put some distance between them. “I just remembered I have an appointment so I really need to get going.”

To her relief, he didn’t push.

“Sure, I understand.” He rose easily and waited for her to stand as well.

Harper did, gathering her beach bag under her arm and shaking the sand off her towel which she folded hastily over her other arm.

“Well…goodbye. Nice meeting you and Happy New Year,” she said lamely.

“Nice to meet you too.” He scratched the back of his neck and turned away. When he did, Harper saw a raised red welt just under his hairline, like the one on her own arm.

She wondered uneasily if he’d been stung by a wasp like she had. The image of the bright, metallic green and gold insect flickered across her mind and then was gone in an instant.

“Oh wait,” lifeguard guy said, turning back. He held out the shiny purple stone, as if it was an afterthought. “Don’t forget this. It might bring you luck for the New Year.”

“Oh, I couldn’t,” Harper protested but he made as if to drop it into her hand and she was already reaching out reflexively to catch it when a hoarse voice shattered the peace of the quiet beach.

“Don’t touch it, Harper!”

Harper’s head jerked up and she saw a man running across the sand dunes toward her. He was big—bigger than big, huge—and he had the blackest hair she’d ever seen. It was made blacker by the paleness of his skin—he looked like he’d never been outside in the sunlight before that moment. There was something strange about his eyes too, but Harper couldn’t tell what it was—she was more distracted by the fact that the wild-looking stranger was not only some kind of giant but also completely naked.

“Don’t touch it!” he shouted again, his deep voice rising over the sound of the rushing surf. “It’s death to touch it. Fucking death!”

“Take it. You have to take it!”

Suddenly lifeguard guy had her by the wrist. There was an intensely focused look on his face, but his eyes were strangely blank. He had a frighteningly strong grip on her arm and he was trying to force her to take the shiny purple stone.

Harper drew back instinctively, attempting to get free. What the hell was going on here?

“Let me go!” she demanded, yanking at her trapped wrist. “Let me go, Goddamnit!”

“Touch it,” lifeguard guy insisted. “Just touch it!”

“No, I don’t want to!”

“You heard the lady.” Suddenly the huge naked stranger with black hair and blazing eyes was upon them. He seemed to have covered the last few feet of sand at an almost inhuman pace. Balling up a fist that looked to Harper to be as big as her head, he punched lifeguard guy hard in the face.

The grip on her wrist loosened abruptly as the formerly nice-looking lifeguard went down in a boneless heap, sprawling at their feet. His other hand loosened too and the shiny purple M&M stone skittered across the sand.

Without missing a beat, the naked stranger scooped up the stone along with a handful of sand and threw it as hard as he could. Harper saw it sparkle in the sunlight and then it plopped into the ocean, far enough out to make her gape. Wow, with a pitching arm like that he could be a major league player! Not that she followed sports much but they were pretty much all her younger brothers could talk about and she’d seen more than of her share of Rays games.

Then her eyes drifted lower. Wow, this guy was huge everywhere.

Looks like he’s packing a bat and balls to match that pitching arm, whispered the little voice in her head and a semi-hysterical giggle rose in her throat.

Harper swallowed it back down.

“Who—?” she began, backing away from the stranger.

“Give me your towel,” he demanded.

“What?” She clutched the blue and white striped beach towel to her chest protectively.

“Give me your towel,” he said impatiently. “It makes you nervous that I’m naked. Let me cover up while we talk.”

“Who said I want to talk to you?” Harper demanded but she was already handing over the towel. There was an air of authority about this huge man that was impossible to ignore.

He wrapped the towel around his waist, hiding his considerable endowments and looked at her intently. His eyes were white, Harper saw—not just plain chalk-white though—they were a shifting, opalescent hue that seemed to be every color and no color at once. A thin ring of black around the outer irises accounted for the strange piercing quality of his gaze. She’d never seen such eyes in her life—they made her uneasy, as though the stranger could see right through her.

“Listen to me—we don’t have much time,” he said in a low, clipped voice. “I’m Shadow, a warrior of the Kindred, but most who know me call me Shad.”

A Kindred—of course! Should have known. There was no way he could be human—he was at least seven feet tall, literally hung like a horse, and extremely muscular. Not to mention those eyes…It made sense that he was one of the alien warriors who guarded the Earth and occasionally called human brides to live in their huge Mother Ship orbiting the moon.

Harper had a sudden thought and her stomach dropped—she’d just gone down to the Tampa HKR office last week to register herself for the bride draft, as was required of all unmarried Earth females, according to the treaty the Kindred had with the leaders of Earth. She hadn’t thought anything of it at the time—statistically not that many women were called as brides. In fact, she’d made a little celebration of it. It was just another sign that she was no longer tied to the good-for-nothing Jareth—that she’d broken her last tie with her former fiancé and had no intention of going back.

“Did…did you come to call me as your bride?” she asked anxiously. “Because I’m not…I never…”

“No,” he said harshly and barked a laugh. “Gods, you always ask me that. No, I’m here to save your life—and with it, the life of everyone on the Mother Ship and many on Earth. But in order to do that, you have to listen to me.”

“No, I don’t think so. This all sounds too crazy for me.” Harper took a wary step back from him. She’d never heard of the Kindred having any kind of psychosis or doing mind altering drugs but this guy was definitely high on something. Saying he was here to save her life? Save it from what? The still unconscious lifeguard guy and his threatening purple M&M?

Nope, whispered the skeptical little voice in her head. I don’t think so.

But the huge Kindred wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“Listen to me,” he repeated in that low, intense voice of his. “Your name is Harper Lee Wilde. You were named so because To Kill a Mockingbird is your mother’s favorite book. You like to joke it’s lucky she didn’t name you ‘Scout’ or ‘Boo Radley.’”

Harper stopped in her tracks. That was something she sometimes said when people remarked on her name. But he might have overheard it somewhere—maybe at a party she’d attended when she was meeting new people. Her mother had dragged her to a fair number of Christmas parties that year and she was certain she’d made plenty of introductions.

But don’t you think you would have noticed a seven-foot-tall white guy with blazing white eyes staring at you if he was anywhere in the room? whispered the little voice in her head.

Still, though—it was too weird. She took another step, putting distance between them. But Shadow—Shad—wasn’t done yet.

“You had a stuffed rabbit when you were younger—given to you by your father. You named him Mr. Bun. He was lost when you took him to the amusement park—the Gardens of Busch, I think. You believed in the tooth fairy until you were ten and you woke up and saw your mother putting a dollar under your pillow one night.”

“Hey…” Harper felt all the blood drain from her face. “How…how can you possibly know all that about me?”

He looked at her intently.

“Because you told me, Harper. You told me all of it before.”

“But I’ve never met you before in my life!” Harper protested.

“Not in this life,” he said obliquely. “But you have and you probably will again—it depends on which path the loop takes—if there are any paths left.” His voice was grim.

“The loop?” She shook her head. “What are you talking about?”

“There isn’t time to say more. The Hive aren’t able to get large agents through the security net the Kindred have around the Earth during this time period, but they can send out smaller scouts and mind-poisoners like the one that stung your friend there.” He scuffed at the fallen lifeguard with one foot.

“The Hive?” Harper had heard rumors of them—an insectile race which abducted human women—or tried to anyway—for nefarious purposes. But she’d assumed it was just an urban legend. Or in this case, a Kindred legend.

“They’re after you, Harper,” Shad said patiently. “Because you’re a ten’sora—the only one on Earth they’ve been able to locate. I won’t tell you what that means now, but it’s not to your benefit.”

“But…but I…”

“Will you come with me or will I carry you? I have done both but I prefer it when you come willingly.” He waited, frowning intently and Harper had the feeling he would absolutely swing her over one broad, bare shoulder and carry her off, kicking and screaming, without a second thought.

Think, Harper!

Despite his strange knowledge of her—or maybe because of it—she didn’t want to go with him. This was all too weird to wrap her head around. Plus, he kept talking like he’d known her in some past life or something. Harper enjoyed Yoga and meditation but she didn’t go in for that reincarnation crap.

She wanted in the worst way to get away. But if she ran he would surely catch her. She’d seen how fast he could move—for such a huge male he was incredibly quick…and frighteningly strong. Maybe she could just pretend to come willingly and then make a break for it once they reached the parking lot? That seemed like her best bet.

“Okay,” she said at last. “I’ll come with you. You don’t…don’t have to carry me.”

“Good.” He made a strangely courtly gesture with one large hand—after you—and nodded across the sandy expanse towards the parking area, as Harper had hoped he would.

She started walking with the huge Kindred on her right, glad that her beach bag was on her left arm. As unobtrusively as she could, she reached into it with her left hand and began to feel around for her keys. The small pocket knife she carried on her key ring wasn’t much of a weapon but it was the best thing she had and she needed to make a break for it the minute she got in reach of her car.

Her heart was pounding as she found the small knife and flipped it open, clutching the handle in her sweaty palm. Too bad she was right handed and she’d be fighting with her left but maybe all she’d have to do was slash him once to startle him. Then she could bolt for the car and—

“Give me the knife.”

“What?” She looked up at him, shocked. How could he have possibly known?

“The small knife you have in your hand. Give it to me—I need it.”

Fear gripped her and Harper held the knife tighter in response.

“I’ll give you the knife all right!” she hissed. Letting the straps of her beach bag slide down her arm, she withdrew her hand and pointed the three inch blade at Shad. It was a laughably small weapon to use on such a huge male but she wasn’t going down without a fight!

She feigned one way and jabbed the other, just as she’d been taught in the one self-defense course she’d taken way back in college. But Shad wasn’t just quick—he also seemed to know exactly which way she was going to move before she knew herself. He simply caught her wrist and plucked the knife, still attached to her jangling mass of keys, from her hand.

“Hey!” Harper couldn’t believe it. “How did you—?”

“How did I disarm you so easily? Because this isn’t the first time you’ve attacked me with this pathetic little weapon,” Shad growled. “However, it does come in handy.”

He grabbed her by the elbow and before Harper could even start to scream, he’d used the small knife to slice right down the center of the itchy, red welt on her upper arm, which had been left by the strange green wasp the week before.

Terror and the sharp pain of the blade knifed through her.

Oh my God, he’s some kind of serial killer and I’m his next target! He didn’t even wait to get me in his car before he started cutting me!

“Stop! Help! Somebody help me!” she screamed—or tried to but Shad had dropped the knife and clamped his hand over her mouth.

“I’m not a serial killer, as you are thinking. Nor am I a rapist, which is what you’re going to think next,” he growled in her ear. “I had to get the Hive’s tracker out of your arm. Look.”

He took his hand from her mouth and pinched the bump on her upper arm, which was now bleeding freely. Something green and metallic came out. It wasn’t much bigger than a speck and it was coated in her blood but when Shad rubbed it between thumb and finger to clean it, it winked at her in the January sunlight.

“See? The tracker.”

Shad gave her a moment to study it before flicking it away. Then he leaned over and did something even more shocking than cutting her—he licked the wound he’d made, his hot tongue swiping across her cut flesh in a way that made Harper gasp and cry out.

“You…I…” She could barely get the words out, her thoughts in a chaotic jumble.

“Now you’ll heal clean and they can’t track you,” the big Kindred rumbled. “But we can’t stay here—they know this location. It’s the start of the loop. We have to go. But first you have to get undressed. Come on—now. Strip down to your skin.”

“What?” Harper wanted to get away from him but he still had her by the arm—the one he’d cut and then licked. She clutched at the sundress and short-sleeved cardigan she was wearing, her eyes wide. There was no way she was taking off her clothes for this big Kindred asshole! No way in hell. She looked around wildly for some help but there was no one in the parking area of the secluded little beach. Except for herself and Shad, it was completely deserted.

“What are you?” she demanded. “Some kind of a—”

“Rapist?” He cocked one coal-black eyebrow at her. “Didn’t I tell you you’d think that? No, Harper, I have no interest in defiling you in any way. I just want to get you out of here before the Hive come.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Please just take off your clothes willingly this time? I hate having to strip you—makes me feel like a fucking brute.”

“Strip me?” Harper looked at him, disbelieving. Then, suddenly, she had a flash. It was not unlike the strange moment she’d had the first time she’d touched the lifeguard guy. But this time, instead of seeing a giant bug’s face, she saw Shad.

Not wild and grim and determined as he was now, though. She saw the big Kindred with a warm, open look on his face. It almost made his grim, chiseled features look kind.

“Come on, Harper sweetheart,” he was murmuring. “Don’t cry—everything is going to work out this time. I’m sure it is.”

Then the flash was gone and Harper was left contemplating the harsh, tense face of a man who had just threatened to strip her naked in public.

She blinked. Had she imagined what she’d just seen…what she’d heard? His voice had been so soft, so gentle…different from the world-weary growl she’d heard when he told her to get undressed.

I don’t know what’s happening but maybe he’s telling the truth somehow. Maybe the Hive is after me for some reason and he’s trying to get me to safety.

It would have seemed preposterous but for the fact that she’d seen him get the tracker speck out of her arm…and the previous flash she’d had with lifeguard guy when she’d seen the giant insect as she touched him.

“All right,” she said warily, taking a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. “Tell me why I have to get undressed.”

Shad sighed and ran a hand through his hair again.

“Because,” he said roughly. “You can’t time-loop wearing clothes. Not unless you want them permanently and painfully grafted onto your skin. The loop fuses flesh and non-flesh if given the chance.”

“Time-loop?” Harper shook her head. “What—are you going to take me back in time to save me from the Hive or something?”

“I only wish I could go back in time to stop them from finding you.” He sounded sincerely regretful about that. “But I can’t. You can’t go back past the beginning of the loop. No Harper—I’m going to take you to my time.”

“Your time?” She frowned at him, still half-disbelieving. “And where—or I guess I should say when is that?”

“The future.” Shad pinned her with those strange, opalescent eyes of his, the colors of a thousand rainbows shifting in their depths as he stared intently into her face. “Harper, I’ve come to you from the future and I have to take you back with me or you’re going to die.”

* * * * *

Shad watched her closely. This was the part where she either screamed and tried to get away from him, or fought him again. Once or twice she had fainted but that particular path was a rare one. Harper was an extremely strong and courageous female, as he had found out from his many, many previous experiences with her. Though she was halfway to believing him, she would do whatever she thought was necessary to get away from him.

And then I’ll have to catch her and strip her naked so we can loop, Shad thought unhappily. Which makes me feel like the fucking rapist she thinks I am every time I do it.

He hated that she thought that of him, even for a minute. He would never hurt a female—no true Kindred would. He’d been raised to revere the gentler sex and he’d spent most of his life knowing his mission was to rescue this particular female. The Goddess had revealed it to him at a very young age.

Shad glanced briefly at the sky. The Mother Ship was still up there in this time frame—still orbiting the Earth’s moon, its inhabitants blissfully unaware of how limited their time was.

I’m up there, he thought. The younger me—the boy Shad who had visions of the “pretty lady with green eyes.”

Back then he’d had white-blond hair and black eyes—the opposite of his present coloring. It was a peculiar trait of Shadow Twins that their eye and hair coloring reversed when they hit puberty. But now, in this time frame, he was still a little boy. So young…so innocent…

He wondered what his younger self would think if he could see him now and was glad that he couldn’t. Not that he could risk going near his younger self—the Time Warden had warned specifically against it, just as he had told Shad he needed to stay away from any timeline where he existed at more than one time, which was one reason he was in such a hurry to get Harper to the future.

But it was just as well. The younger Shad would be traumatized if he saw the way present-day Shad manhandled the “pretty lady.” The way he stripped Harper bare while she cried and pleaded with him not to.

Shad took a breath and hardened his resolve. It twisted his heart every time, but he couldn’t let Harper be permanently marked during the loop. Stripping her was for her own good. She…

His thought trailed off and his eyes widened.

For the first time ever, in the hundreds of loops and dozens on dozens of twisting paths those time-loops had taken, Harper was taking off her own clothes.

“Harper?” He could scarcely believe it. He’d been certain that he’d seen every possible path play out and in every single one of them he was forced to subdue and strip her before they could loop. How could it be she was voluntarily undressing herself?

“What?” She looked up at him, half-fearful, half-defiant. “You said take off my clothes, so I’m taking them off. Did you change your mind?”

“No.” Shad shook his head wonderingly. “No please—continue.”

“I’d ask you not to look but I guess that wouldn’t do any good,” she snapped.

“I can’t risk you running,” Shad said, frowning. “But I will look only at your face.”

He kept his eyes trained on her lovely features as she fumbled with her clothing, though it was difficult to do. He had so many memories of her lush curves… her creamy brown skin so much darker than his own pale tan…the way she offered herself to him and her salty-sweet taste as he knelt between her thighs to worship her with his tongue…

No, he told himself fiercely. No more of that! It hurts too fucking much. Every time you lose her it’s like ripping out your heart. Stay distant this time, Shad. Maybe that way you won't lose perspective and you can fucking keep her alive.

At last, Harper stood naked and shivering before him, one arm wrapped protectively around her full breasts while the other hand shielded the tender V of her sex.

“What now?” she asked, her teeth chattering. It was a perfectly comfortable 65 degrees Fahrenheit or 18 degrees Celsius, but Shad reminded himself that she was used to Florida temperatures and it rarely got chilly here.

He braced himself for the next part.

“Now, we loop,” he said evenly. “Which means you have to be in contact with me since I have the looper embedded under my skin.”

He turned his hand over and showed her the underside of his left wrist. The small, flat device had been implanted under the blue bracelet of veins by the Time Warden himself and didn’t Shad wish he could get his hands on that bastard. But it was too late for that—too late to go back and tell the Warden he’d set the beginning of the loop at the wrong place. Shad couldn’t do a damn thing while he was stuck in this loop except keep going, praying that the next time he lived it he would get it right.

I’d better get it right this time, he thought, looking at the dull red glow under the skin of his arm. The glow had been bright green when the Warden had first implanted it. Over hundreds of attempts the light had gradually faded to blue, then yellow, then orange, and now red…the most ominous of colors.

Because the looper was running out of power.

This could be the last loop—the last chance, Shad thought to himself and felt his stomach clench unhappily. If he didn’t manage to save Harper this time, he might not get to try again. And that meant she would die…and everyone else he loved would die with her.

No, I can’t think like that! If this is my last chance, I have to fucking make it count.

“Come here,” he told Harper, who edged towards him warily, as though he were a wild beast which might decide to gobble her up. “Come on, I promise it will only take a moment.”

“What will only take a moment?” she asked in a small voice. “I don’t think we should—”

“Looping will only take a moment. And it’s too late to change your mind.”

Before she could protest, he grabbed her and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and back and pressing her tight against him.

He heard her muffled squeak of protest at the abrupt intimacy as he tapped at the glowing spot on his arm. At first he thought nothing was going to happen—thought that this last reset had finally drained the looper forever and they were going to be stuck here in this time where there was nothing he could do for her.

Then the air around them began to shimmer and the past, which was Harper’s present, faded away as they time-looped into the future.

Chapter Two

“Where are we? What is this place?” Harper stared around herself in disbelief and dismay. They appeared to still be on Earth but a changed Earth. The beach was still there but the clear green waves she remembered had been replaced by greasy black, as though the entire ocean was one vast oil slick. The air was heavy with gray smog and the only vegetation she could see was a few withered stalks of black grass along the side of the road.

“This is the Earth under Hive dominion,” Shad said grimly. “Come on—we have to move fast before a Seeker senses you.”

“A what?”

But he was already pulling her through the rutted parking lot with its broken and crumbling asphalt, though where he was taking her, Harper had no idea. She just stumbled along behind him, staring at this strange new world in horror and trying to keep herself covered.

He came to an abrupt halt in the back corner of the parking area and Harper almost ran into his broad back.

“Hey, what—?”

“Watch.”

Shad put out a hand and pressed against thin air—or it looked like air. But when he withdrew his palm there was a faint shimmer and a door swung open. Not a house door, though—it was more like the door to a car.

“What is this?” Harper stared wide-eyed. She wasn’t used to seeing doors appear out of thin air.

“My ship. Get in—we have to get out of here fast.”

“But…it’s invisible,” she exclaimed. “What are you, Wonder Woman? You have an invisible jet?”

“It’s just stealth tech but it won’t keep them off our scent forever,” Shad growled. “Especially if they sense a fertile female in the vicinity. We have to get out of range. Come on!”

He pushed Harper into the strange doorway and she looked around, bewildered as her eyes got used to the dim lighting. Then she registered what she was seeing. She’d seen pictures on the news of the Kindred’s vehicles—this was clearly one of them.

There were two seats up front with a complicated-looking array of instruments. There was a living area in the middle of the ship, which was where they were standing, with a comfortable if battered looking couch opposite a narrow counter which apparently doubled as a galley kitchen. Near the back was a closed door which led to the very end of the ship—maybe some kind of a bedroom?

This ship was different from the one she’d seen in the news-vid, though. That Kindred vehicle had been shiny and new with silver chrome sparkling everywhere. Though it was spotlessly clean, everything in this ship looked dull and worn and ragged—as though it was years old.

“Not much to look at,” Shad rumbled behind her, making her jump. “But at least the stealth tech works. The Kindred haven’t made a new ship in over twenty cycles but this old girl keeps humming along.”

Harper turned and saw that he’d closed the door after him and was pulling on a pair of tight black leather trousers and matching black leather boots. He tossed her a pile of red fabric which she caught reflexively.

“Here, put this on and come up front to buckle up. We have to go.”

He was already striding up to sit in what was clearly the Captain’s chair, behind the rows of instruments as he spoke. His broad, bare chest was lit by many colors as he began flipping switches and the control panel lit up.

The ship hummed to life and Harper realized she needed to hurry. She didn’t want to be standing here naked, staring like an idiot if they were about to blast into space.

Hurriedly, she examined the red, slippery fabric and found it was a simple sleeveless dress. Rolled inside it was a pair of black ballet flats. She pulled the dress over her head and slipped on the shoes, surprised all of it fit her perfectly, the red gown clinging to her curves and accenting her warm brown skin tones.

Red always was my color, she thought. But how had Shad known? The same way he knew everything else about her? Because he was from the future?

Harper frowned—it was time to get some answers.

Going up to the front of the ship, she slid into the battered passenger’s chair which was obviously built for someone much larger than her. She sat back and started working on the complicated array of buckles and straps.

“Don’t bother with all of those,” Shad told her. “You only have to be fully harnessed when we break through the atmosphere and go into space.”

“But…aren’t we?” Harper couldn’t imagine why else they would be in a space ship.

“Not yet,” he said grimly. “First we have to go by the base of the Resistance. If we don’t have someone running interference for us, we’ll never get out of Earth’s atmosphere.”

“The Resistance?” Harper shook her head, feeling dazed.

The big Kindred shot her a glance. “Not very original is it? But it’s what we do—we resist the Hive’s rule. Their systematic decimation of our world and people.”

“But…I always thought they were just an urban legend,” Harper protested as the small ship lifted and began skimming through the air. They didn’t seem to be going very high—she could still plainly see the rutted remains of a road beneath them. The same road she’d driven on to get to the beach what seemed like a hundred years ago.

Maybe it was a hundred years ago. If we really are in the future.

“They’re all too real, unfortunately,” Shad growled. “As you would have found out if you’d touched that E’lo stone the mind-slave was trying to give you.”

“Mind-slave? You mean the lifeguard guy you punched out?” Harper asked.

He nodded shortly. “He’d been stung by a mind-poisoner—a Hive scout that carries a special mind-control venom in the tip of its barb. It compels the one it stings to fulfill a specific directive. In this case, that poor fool was supposed to give you the E’lo stone.”

“But…why?” Harper remembered the desperation in the nice-looking lifeguard guy’s face as he demanded that she take the small purple M&M shaped stone, or at least just touch it.

“Because holding or even touching the stone would have transported you instantly to the Hive’s home base on Mars. That’s where they holed up when they came to our solar system,” Shad said. “Then they laid low and waited for us to let our guard down. The Kindred had a protective energy net around the Earth—the Hive couldn’t get anything larger than a small insect though it. But that was enough.”

“If they couldn’t get anything but an insect through, how was I going to be sent all the way to Mars?” It sounded far-fetched to Harper.

“Because Druvian E’lo stones cause instant transportation to anywhere in the universe. They were actually first formed to cause two compatible individuals to switch places and trade locations but they can be calibrated to transport only one specific person. In this case—you.” He gave her a direct look with those strange, white eyes of his.

“But…why me? What would they want with me?” Harper demanded. “I’m just a regular person. There’s nothing special about me.”

“Not special? Gods…” He shook his head. “Listen, Harper—you’re a ten’sora. The only one on Earth during your time. Or at least, the only one the Hive could locate.”

“A what? What does that even mean?” she demanded.

“Look…” He ran a hand through his wild black hair. “The Hive wants human females for one reason and one reason only—incubation of their grubs.”

“Incubation of grubs?” Harper felt sick. “You mean—”

The Sovereign—the ruler of the Hive—has a breeding barb he uses to inject his spawn.” Shad stared straight ahead as he spoke, his voice flat, his eyes hard. “Most females only survive one breeding. That’s because when the grubs grow large enough, they eat their way out.”

“Ugh!” Harper exclaimed. “That’s nasty!”

“It’s a death sentence,” Shad said shortly. “For any female but a ten’sora.”

“Which is what I’m supposed to be, right? Why? How am I different?” she demanded.

“You’re different because your body produces a special chemical—an enzyme which keeps the grubs dormant so that you can birth them naturally.”

“That’s disgusting,” Harper whispered. “There’s nothing natural about, uh, birthing grubs.”

“Of course not,” he said harshly. “The point is, they don’t kill you coming out. Which means you can be bred over and over and over…”

“Stop!” Harper wanted to clap her hands over her ears. “How can you say such awful things with a straight face? It’s not right!”

“Of course it’s not right,” he growled. “It’s fucking horrible and wrong on every level. But it’s what happens to you if I can’t save you.”

“What do you mean?” she asked. “You already did. You kept me from touching the purple M&M, er, the E’lo stone, and took me away to the future. I should be fine, right?”

He shook his head. “It’s not enough. It’s never enough. They find you—the Hive finds you every time and takes you back. Because what I’m trying to do is almost impossible.”

“You mean trying to save me?”

“Yes.” He sighed. “But it’s more than that—I’m trying to change the past.” He turned his head to look at her. “And Harper, the past doesn’t want to be changed. It resists at every opportunity.”

“And what…what happened in the past?” she asked numbly. “The Hive got me?”

“In the past—your present—you touched the E’lo stone and were transported directly to the Hive’s lair,” he said blandly. “There you were bred over and over, producing a veritable army for the Hive.”

Harper felt sick. This had to be a nightmare, right? He couldn’t be telling the truth, could he?

“You mean I…I…” But she couldn’t finish.

“Yes,” Shad said, staring straight ahead again. His voice was flat but there was a muscle jumping in the side of his strong jaw and his knuckles where he gripped the steering yoke were white. “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. Sovereign X'izith kidnapped you using the E’lo stones and forced you to incubate brood after brood of his fucking grubs.”

His eyes were shiny and dry but he swallowed hard before continuing. “They built their army silently, in secret. It took years but by the time they were ready to leave Mars and attack, they outnumbered us twenty to one.”

“And what…what happened then?” Harper whispered.

“They blew the Mother Ship out of the sky. Took over the world. The Earth had no weapons that could defeat them although the humans made a valiant attempt.”

“But if they blew up the Mother Ship how did you survive?” she asked.

“I and a group of my friends—classmates—were here on a field trip at the time of the attack. We formed the core of the Resistance and we’ve been hiding and fighting the Hive ever since.” He looked at Harper again. “But I always knew that someday I would go looking for you—to save you. And in saving you, I will be saving our entire race, Harper. Do you understand?”

“I…I think I’m beginning to,” she whispered, although her head was still spinning with the wild tale he was telling her. Captured by the Hive? Impregnated with an army of grubs? The Kindred Mother Ship destroyed and the world overrun with the horrible huge insects? It was almost too awful to contemplate. Yet all she had to do was look out the viewscreen around them to see evidence that Shad was telling the truth.

They were in the city now—a huge, gray city Harper didn’t remember. It appeared as though Downtown Tampa had somehow grown all the way out past the boundaries of Saint Pete. The buildings were strange and silent—lumpy towers of crooked gray and black stone that looked like they’d been extruded rather than built. They reminded her more of the huge termite mounds she’d seen in a nature documentary once than actual buildings. There were no windows and the entrances were rounded and uneven.

The streets they were skimming over were deserted except for a few long, thin, insectile creatures who reminded Harper of eight-foot-tall humanoid grasshoppers walking on their hind legs. They stalked around the blackened streets, their long antennae twitching as though they were looking for something.

“Seekers,” Shad said, seeing her staring at them. “They’re on the lookout for fertile females. They can smell one from a hundred yards away—like fucking sharks smell blood in the water.”

“Can…can they smell me?” Harper heard the quaver in her own voice and didn’t like it. But the idea of being grabbed by a giant insect was repellant to her. She hated bugs and always had, probably because she’d grown up in Florida where there were so many different kinds of creepy-crawlies.

“They could if the ship wasn’t air tight,” Shad said. “Don’t worry though—they won’t get us here. I’ve never seen a path where that happens.”

Harper wanted to ask him what he meant when he kept talking about different “paths” but before she could, they pulled up in front of a vaguely familiar building. It was made of brick and looked like something built by humans rather than extruded by termites. There was an old movie marquee out front with a few random letters still in place on darkened board. A tall, vertical sign above the marquee proclaimed TAM…but the P and the A had been broken off and lay on the cratered sidewalk below.

Suddenly Harper recognized the building.

“Hey—that’s the Tampa Theater!”

It was a historic landmark for the city—the first air-conditioned structure in town and a common spot for school field trips. It had been built in the 1920s as one of America’s most elaborate movie palaces and had only one screen. Rows of plush red velvet seats surrounded the single screen and marble steps led up to an elaborate balcony where the blue ceiling was gilded with stars like the night sky outside.

Harper had loved the old theater as a kid and even as an adult she and her girlfriends often came on Friday nights. The Tampa Theater was the place to go see first run indie films that weren’t playing at any of the multiplexes.

Seeing the familiar building crumbling but still proud, its few front windows boarded up and its sign broken on the ground brought the reality of the situation home to Harper as nothing had before.

“My God,” she whispered, staring at the half-ruined building. “This is really real, isn’t it? We’re really in the future.”

“One possible future,” Shad said pointedly. “There are many paths the loop can take. If we can get you to She Who Alters we can change all this.” He made a sweeping gesture with one hand to indicate the bleak landscape around them. “But before we can do that, we have to forge you a new identity. She Who Alters won’t see just anyone, no matter how great their need, unfortunately.”

“She Who Alters? New identity? What are you talking about?” Harper looked at him in confusion. The big Kindred wasn’t making any sense.

But he only shook his head.

“Never mind. Before we can do any of that, we have to clear Earth’s atmosphere. And that part is always tricky. Come on—we’re going to make a run for it from my ship to that small, side entrance there.” He pointed to a metal door to the side of the main entrance which was so covered in dirt and rust it almost blended in with the blackened bricks. “You ready?”

“I guess so. But…you’re sure none of those big, nasty-ass grasshopper looking Seeker things will get us?” Harper looked around anxiously. She really did hate bugs—especially giant ones. And I thought palmetto bugs were bad!

“None around,” Shad assured her. “We’ll be fine getting in—it’s getting out and making it out of orbit that’s the hard part. Come with me. Oh, and you might want to hold your nose.”

Before she could ask why he had popped open the front driver’s side door and was pulling her out onto the pitted and cracked pavement below.

Harper took in a deep breath and nearly gagged. A stench like nothing she’d ever smelled before assaulted her nostrils. It seemed to be made up of rotting garbage, dirty diapers, burning hair, and decomposing corpses.

“Ugh!” Harper clapped a hand over her mouth and nose to keep from inhaling any more of the horrid miasma and hurried to keep up with the big Kindred who was striding swiftly towards the side door.

He rapped in quick succession and then stood back, waiting until the door opened a crack and a bright eye peered out. Harper saw with some surprise that the iris had gold and silver rings before the door opened more fully, revealing what could only be a Beast Kindred. He had broad shoulders and a wild mane of black hair streaked with gold.

“Shad,” he growled in a low, hoarse voice.

“Daniel—I’m back,” Shad said.

The strange gold and silver eyes of the Beast Kindred lit with hope.

“You’ve got the girl? The looper worked?”

“Yes and yes but it’s complicated,” Shad said. “Let us in before the latest stench Kara and Kaleb whipped up kills us.”

“Come in then.” The huge Beast Kindred with the strangely mixed eyes and hair stood aside, ushering them into the dark interior of the theater.

The door slammed shut with a muffled thud and the Beast Kindred bolted and barricaded it behind them.

“Harper, this is Daniel, our leader,” Shad said, nodding at the other Kindred. “We grew up together—our mothers were best friends on Earth before our fathers called them to the Mother Ship as brides.”

“Nice to meet you,” the Beast Kindred said gruffly. “You can breathe easy in here. The scent blowers are all outside.”

Cautiously, Harper lifted her hand from her face and took a small sip of air. The scent inside the old theater was musty and dusty but not nearly as horrible as the rotten miasma outside. What the Beast Kindred had said about “scent blowers” struck her as strange though.

“So…that smell outside is on purpose?” she asked.

“Hell yeah.” The Beast Kindred Shad had called Daniel nodded easily. “Pheromones—keeps the Seekers away.”

“The Seekers aren’t too bright,” a new voice said. A tall Kindred with dark brown hair and green eyes stepped into the limited light. When he spoke, Harper thought she saw a flash of fangs—was he a Blood Kindred then?

The new male was hand-in-hand with a tall girl with straight, pale blonde hair and ice blue eyes.

“They aren’t sentient,” she said, as though continuing the male’s thought.

To Harper’s surprise, she saw that the girl had fangs too. But wasn’t it only Blood Kindred males who had fangs?

“And everything in the Hive runs on smell,” the male went on, continuing the girl’s sentence.

“So if you mix the right scents and pheromones together and blow them around the building,” the girl said.

“You present a very effective deterrent to the Seekers,” the Blood Kindred said.

“Which means you can keep them away,” they finished together in perfect unison, both sets of fangs winking in the dim light.

“I think this last batch you two mixed is the most effective yet,” Shad told them. “It’s fucking horrible.” He turned to Harper. “Harper, these two are Kara and Kaleb—they’re twins—the son and daughter of Commander Sylvan who was the head of the Kindred High Council in your timeline. They run our science division.”

“Such as it is,” Kaleb said. Kara kept silent, staring at Harper in a way so intense her look was almost a glare. At last she spoke.

“You are the ten’sora. You’re the reason the Hive were able to take over. It’s your fault my parents are dead. Your fault everyone on the Mother Ship is dead.”

“Hey now, Kara…” Daniel put a hand on her arm but she shook him off.

“It’s true and you know it.” She looked at Harper coldly but spoke to Shad. “You should have had the Time Warden set the loop to before the Hive found her. You should have gone back and killed her instead of trying to save her. The death of one is preferable to the death of many.”

“You know that’s not how it works, Kara,” Shad said roughly. “You can’t change the past through violence—only love. The Time Warden himself told me that.”

“What does he know?” Kara gave Harper one last, hostile glare, bared her fangs and actually hissed at her. Then, still clutching Kaleb’s hand, she turned back and she and her twin disappeared into the darkened husk of the theater.

“You’ll have to excuse her,” Daniel said roughly. “She’s brilliant but losing her parents—losing all our parents—did something to her. She can’t stand anyone but her twin, Kaleb. Everyone else is the enemy.”

“Come on,” Shad said. “We need to make a plan so I can get Harper out of here.”

“This way.” Daniel turned and led the way into the darkness.

Harper started to follow but stumbled over the uneven floor.

“Careful.” Shad grabbed her by the hand and pulled her along in his wake. “Step where I step. Some of this place is booby-trapped.”

Harper stepped carefully after him, wondering what else she would see in the harsh, awful future world.

Wondering if everything she saw here really was her fault.

* * * * *

Shad took a deep breath as Daniel led them through the echoing shell of the main auditorium to the small door under the tall wooden stage. He looked up at it, letting his memory wander.

There was a rectangular hole at stage left where the Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ used to rise before the movie started. He still remembered seeing it as a kid, mesmerized by its melodious tones, wishing his mother, Kat, could have come along on their field trip from the Mother Ship to see it. Later on he had wished it even harder, desperately wanting to see her face even once more—but by then it was too late…

Stop thinking of the past, he told himself roughly. Right now you need to concentrate on the future—on making a definite change and getting to the end of the loop.

He had some hope that this time it could happen. The fact that the time path they were on seemed to be a new one made him cautiously optimistic. But then, he’d had hope before—so many times—and every time it had been shattered.

And no matter how much hope he had for his possible success this go-around, the fact was that time was running out. The dying red light on the looper implanted under the skin of his left forearm proved it.

Have to get it right this time, he told himself, steadying Harper as she nearly stumbled again. They had made the decision to leave the interior of the old theater dark and cluttered to preserve the illusion that it was uninhabited—hence the mess. He knew every step by heart but of course, the Tampa Theater wasn’t like this in her time. It was clean and well-lighted and carefully preserved by the volunteers who staffed it and loved to tell about its history.

And it will be again, Shad vowed to himself. This time we’re going all the way to the end of the loop. This time I’ll be successful.

He hoped.

They entered the side door under the stage and a familiar sight met his eyes. His twin brothers, War and Peace, were sitting behind the control bank. Most of the monitors and viewscreens had been scavenged out of junked Kindred ships but Peace—who was a technical genius—had welded them together into a workable conglomeration which ensured they knew exactly what was going on around the theater at all times. He had sandy brown hair like their father, Lock, and blue eyes like their mother, Kat.

“Hello, Brother,” War, who was the tactician of the two, greeted him quietly. He had dark auburn hair as their mother had, but his eyes were as black as their other father, Deep’s had been.

Shad could still remember how their Dark Twin father’s eyes had blazed when he disciplined the three of them. Although War got the most discipline, since he always got into the most trouble, usually dragging poor Peace along with him. How the two of them had laughed and teased each other back in those happy days. Shad, being a Shadow Twin, had always stood by and watched their antics but still, he felt a quiet enjoyment of his brothers’ happiness.

There was no more mischief or humor left in his brothers’ faces now, though. They had suffered a deep loss—one Shad knew they would never recover from.

“War,” he said. “Peace. Meet Harper.”

“Oh, hello.” Peace looked up dully and then turned away, apparently losing interest in the new addition to their party. His eyes were bloodshot as though he hadn’t slept for days. Before him, resting on the console, was a small holo cube. He picked it up and flicked it idly with his thumb, causing it to hum to life.

A holo appeared hovering above the cube—the head and shoulders of a girl who had the same creamy brown skin tones as Harper. But her eyes were different—the irises a warm amber while the sclera around the iris which should have been white was a deep, rich black instead.

Shad heard Harper catch her breath.

“Who is that? Her eyes…”

“Ziza is…was half Scourge.” War’s deep voice faltered on his use of the past tense.

Shad’s heart ached for his brothers. As a Shadow Twin, he knew it was extremely unlikely he would ever form a bond with a female himself. But War and Peace were true Twin Kindred. The pair of them had been in love with the headstrong, beautiful Aziz—or Ziza, as they all called her—since they were children playing together on the Mother Ship. She had finally returned their love and agreed to bond with the two of them just a month before.

The trio had enjoyed a week of love—the three of them blissfully happy despite the harsh and awful world they lived in. And then Ziza had been snatched by a rogue Seeker while she was out on a routine patrol and taken to the Hive’s Earth headquarters. War and Peace had mounted a desperate campaign to get her back…but they had been too late.

“She was already swollen with grubs,” Peace had told Shad bleakly. “She begged us to…to kill her. I couldn’t…couldn’t do what had to be done. But War…he could. He did it.”

Shad knew well enough what that meant, the same way he knew why the Dark Twin’s hand twitched when he held his blaster and why his black eyes were hard and dead inside.

He had to shoot her—had to kill the only woman he and Peace ever loved.

It twisted Shad’s heart to admit it to himself. But he knew there had been no other option other than to leave Ziza to die in agony when the grubs reached maturity and gnawed their way out. Impregnation with grubs was a death sentence to any female who wasn't a ten'sora. What War had done was a mercy killing—not that the Dark Twin saw it that way.

It was a wonder he hadn’t turned the weapon on himself next but somehow Peace had stopped him. Shad didn’t know why—it was clear that the Light Twin was as dead inside as his brother.

His heart ached fiercely for the twins—his blood brothers—though he had never been as close to either of them as they were to each other. A Shadow Twin was always set apart—different…lacking in the world of the Twin Kindred. Nevertheless he loved his siblings and his very soul cried out to the Goddess for their healing and for a way to avenge Ziza or somehow change her fate.

He had cried to her after Ziza’s death—cried out in pain—and for the first time since he was a child, the Goddess had answered him…had given him his mission. Shad could still remember it now though it felt as though the encounter had been years ago…

“Child,” the Goddess had said to him, her face too bright to look upon as she appeared in the dimness of the ruined closet he called a room. “I have heard your sorrow and come to you.”

“Why now?” Shad’s grief had made him fierce, reckless. “Why now after all these years? Why didn’t you stop the Hive from killing the Mother Ship? From taking over the Earth? What good can it do for you to come to me now?”

“Child…” There was a pained note in the Goddess’s beautiful voice. “I ache for you and grieve for your pain but though I love my children, I cannot alter history.”

“Then what good are you?” Shad had raged at her. “What fucking good are you? Why did you come? Just to tell me you’re sorry? Just leave me the fuck alone.”

“Child,” the Goddess had repeated gently, patiently, for the third time. “I tell you, I cannot change history. But it is possible that you can…For you are a Shadow Twin—a special one. You were born for this very task and only you can perform it…”

Before his disbelieving eyes, the dimensional door had opened…the way to the Time Warden where he had been given the looper now implanted under his forearm. And his life had changed forever…

And what good has it done me? Shad asked himself fiercely, shaking off the old memory. I just keep failing again and again and again…

“So you got the time-looper and the girl,” War said, breaking into his bleak thoughts.

“Did he?” Peace looked up, a dull kind of hope lighting his eyes. “Does that mean you could go back and change history? Make it so…so Ziza is still…still alive and we all…” He shook his head, unable to finish.

“I’m going to try,” Shad said carefully. “But brothers, you must know, this isn’t the first time I’ve tried—the first path I’ve taken.”

“So you’ve tried before and failed,” War said flatly. “Well, we knew the past would resist change. The Time Warden warned as much. And a big event like the Hive domination is even harder to change.”

“I’ll do it this time,” Shad swore. “We’re on a new path. But in order to get her altered so the Hive can’t use her…” he nodded at Harper who stood quietly by his side. “I have to take her off Earth—out of this solar system.”

“You’ll need some cover then,” Daniel said heartily. “A distraction to keep the Hive off you until you break orbit and get past Jupiter at least.”

“We can do that,” Peace said quickly. “We can keep them off your trail, Brother.”

“I know you can.” Shad cleared his throat. “But Brothers…there’s something else you need to know.”

He waited until he had all their eyes before continuing. There was no easy way to say this.

“Yes, Shad—go on.” Daniel’s deep voice was oddly gentle, as though he knew what Shad had to say.

“I’ve done this—tried this—hundreds of times now,” Shad told them. “And in every path I’ve ever taken, the Hive finds the source of your distraction and blasts the base the minute I leave orbit. I don’t…” He cleared his throat. “Don’t think the base survives the blast. It’s massive.”

“So we need to evacuate and stage the distraction remotely,” Daniel said practically.

“Can’t,” Peace said at once. “I need to be here to make it work—it’s retinal-print activated.”

“If you stay, I stay, Brother,” War said at once.

“But that’s a death sentence,” Daniel protested.

“Don’t care.” War turned bleak eyes on their leader.

“Besides, anything we can do to help Shad change the past…bring back Ziza…” Peace lifted his chin. “We’ll do it.”

“You need to know something else,” Shad told them. “This…might be my last chance. The looper is almost out of power. And you know the Warden can’t be found more than once in a lifetime. It’s a dimensional impossibility.”

A bleak smile came to War’s face.

“Then we have to make certain to give you a big send off, Brother.”

“The biggest,” Peace agreed. “Last time pays for all.”

Daniel looked like he wanted to protest the twin’s fatalism but he glanced at the holo of Ziza that Peace still held in his hand and simply shook his head. He looked at Shad and Harper.

“Do your best,” he growled. “And may we meet again at the path’s end.”

“If we do, none of you will have any memory of this,” Shad reminded them. “It will be as if nothing ever happened. I will be the only one to remember.” He would be alone in his knowledge of the past, just as he had been alone and set apart all of his life.

“Good,” Peace said. “I don’t want to remember. And I don’t want to live in a world without our mate.” He looked at War who nodded.

“Peace is right. Either Shad succeeds, the past is changed, and we all live a peaceful life…or Peace and I get blown to the Goddess.”

“Either way, the pain ends,” Peace said quietly. “Go to your ship, Shad. War and I will make certain the Hive doesn’t see you leave.”

Though he had gone through this scenario more times than he could count, Shad still felt his heart twist in his chest. Beside him, he saw Harper’s wide green eyes looking at him uncertainly. He knew all the questions she had but he couldn’t bear to answer them right now.

Striding forward, he embraced his two brothers and then Daniel, who had led them all for so many years, ever since the fateful field trip to Earth when the Mother Ship was blown apart and the Hive had taken over the small blue and green planet.

“Go with the Goddess,” Daniel said in his ear. He released Shad and looked at Harper. “Lady, may you take the right path and may your past be changed,” he said formally.

“I…thank you.” Harper clearly didn’t know what to say.

“Welcome,” Daniel said gruffly. He sighed and ran a hand through his black and blond mane. “Well, I’d better go round up Kara and Kaleb.” He nodded at them briskly and then strode away, but not before Shad saw the grief on his face. They’d lost so many of their original group and now they would lose War and Peace too. It had to be unbearable for Daniel but the big Beast Kindred who was the oldest of them all kept going, no matter what. He had an indomitable will which had kept them together and strong, despite the ravages of the Hive.

Have to make their sacrifice count, he told himself fiercely. This time I cannot, I must not fail. This time I will reach the end of the loop.

“Come on,” he said and took Harper by the arm. “We need to go.”

Chapter Three

Harper looked down apprehensively as the small, invisible space ship took off from the cracked pavement in front of the Tampa Theater. Her mind was still reeling from all she’d heard and seen. She felt like she’d suddenly been transported into the middle of a sci-fi dystopian novel—the kind of cheesy, guilty pleasure book she brought to the beach.

The beach…my God, all I wanted was a few hours to myself alone at the beach. And look at what happened. Where is Shad taking me? What the hell is going to happen?

As the small craft rose through the smoggy air, she realized she had no answers.

She wanted to get some though—wanted to try and clarify everything she’d seen and heard during their brief, bewildering layover at the theater—but she hardly knew where to start. Also, there was an intensely focused look on the big Kindred’s face which made her think now would be a bad time for conversation.

They were rising steadily through the air, straight up this time instead of skimming along just above the pavement as they had before. The Tampa Theater had already dwindled to the size of a shed below them when she heard a whooping alarm start to go off outside. The alarm was so loud that she could hear it clearly, even through the walls of the ship.

“What is that?” she gasped, as the alarm grew louder still, enveloping the small ship in a wall of shrieking sound.

“Proximity alert,” Shad shouted back. “It goes off when any unauthorized ship tries to leave Earth’s atmosphere. Alerts every Hive ship in the vicinity to come to the source of the sound. Which in this case, is us.”

Harper swallowed hard. In the viewscreen, she could see numerous ships converging on them. Were they still invisible? Could the Hive ships find them anyway, even with the stealth tech on Shad’s vehicle?

“Will they catch us?” She heard the terror in her own voice but she couldn’t quite help it. The whooping alarm made her feel panicky—like her throat was stuffed with cotton so she couldn’t breathe or swallow properly.

“Not with War and Peace on watch,” he replied and the look on his face was unreadable.

Suddenly, there was an even louder sound—a claxon or a bell tolling and then lights began to flash from the Tampa Theater down below. The Hive ships—which had the same, lumpy, extruded appearance as the new, weird buildings she’d seen—suddenly dropped, zeroing in on the more obvious target.

As Harper watched, her heart in her mouth, they started firing. Shad’s ship was rising fast but she could still see the moment when the old theater crumbled in on itself. The lights stopped flashing and the two alarms cut off almost simultaneously. Then all was silent and as they rose still higher into the sky and then into the blackness of space.

“My God,” she whispered, feeling a lump form in her throat as she realized what had just happened. “Your brothers…War and Peace…they sacrificed themselves for us.”

“Yes.” Shad’s eyes were dry but one look at him let her know every muscle in his big body was tensed.

Harper just couldn’t wrap her head around it.

“I heard them talking about it but I thought…I guess I thought maybe they’d get away at the last minute,” she said.

“That was impossible,” Shad said flatly. “And a Kindred always keeps his word—even unto death. They had to stay at their post and so they did.”

He was hurting, Harper could tell—he just didn’t know how to express it.

“Shad…” Though she hardly knew him, Harper had the impulse to comfort the big Kindred. She could almost feel the pain rolling off him in waves—what they had just seen, what had happened to his brothers—it was too much for him to bear alone. Tentatively, she reached out and laid a gentle hand on his broad shoulder.

Shad was still bare-chested and his muscles tensed as he jerked away.

“Don’t,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t touch me.”

“Sorry.” Harper drew back, offended. “I was only trying to make you feel better.”

“I know. You always do.” His hands tightened on the steering yoke until his knuckles were white and he shot her a glare. “But it’s better if you don’t. Better if we just…keep our distance. All right?”

“All right, fine.”

Harper couldn’t help feeling hurt and rebuffed. But people grieved in different ways and if that was the way he wanted it, fine, she’d stay away from him. As much as she could while they were on the run together in a small space ship, that was. Anyway he wasn’t exactly her type. He…

She got a sudden flash—this one stronger than either of the other two she’d experienced before.

She saw herself laying a hand on his muscular arm, as she had just now. But instead of rebuffing her, Shad covered her hand with his own. He looked at her, his strange, opalescent eyes burning with emotion.

“Harper,” he murmured and reached for her.

In the strange vision, Harper saw herself going to him, twining her arms around his strong neck as his big hands stroked her back. His scent was all around her—some dark spice she found irresistible—and she couldn’t help kissing him, wanting to wash away the grief and pain she saw in his strangely beautiful eyes. Shad stiffened for a moment but then he kissed her back, taking her mouth with his hungrily, as though he couldn’t get enough of her…

And then the flash was over—leaving her reeling with sensation as though it had really happened. Had it really happened?

Harper put a hand to her lips. She could almost feel the press of his full, sensual mouth and her back and shoulders were still warm from his touch. But how could that be?

He didn’t touch me…didn’t kiss me, she told herself uneasily. Hell, he doesn’t even want me touching him. What’s going on with me? Why do I keep getting these weird flashes?

And this one had been the most vivid yet—even stronger than the one she’d had of the huge insect face when she’d touched the lifeguard guy who turned out to be a mind-slave of the Hive.

I have to stop this, Harper told herself sternly, although how she could stop the momentary hallucinations when she wasn’t having them on purpose was beyond her. I have to get hold of myself. This situation is weird enough as it is without me going batshit crazy and starting to see things that aren’t there and feeling things that didn’t really happen.

“So where are we going?” she said, hoping her voice sounded normal. “I mean, what’s the plan?”

“First to a wormhole I know of just outside the orbit of Saturn.” Shad’s deep voice was a little calmer now, less ragged than when she’d tried to comfort him, she thought. “It dumps out a few parsecs from the Centaurus Reticulum System. We’re aiming for the planet Juno—it’s where all the best forgers live.”

“Forgers? What do we need to get forged? Money? Documents?” Harper shook her head, bewildered.

Shad looked at her. “More than that. We need to get you a whole new identity. Something that will stand up to intense scrutiny when we get to the Palace of She Who Alters.”

“You said something about that before—who is, uh, She Who Alters?” Harper asked, frowning.

“The only being in the universe who can help us, I believe.” He sighed and looked at her. “Remember I told you that you’re a ten’sora and you—”

“Please don’t start about incubating grubs again,” Harper said quickly and shivered. “That’s just too awful.”

“All right.” He shrugged, his broad, bare shoulders rolling appealingly.

Harper told herself she shouldn’t notice. It didn’t matter how attractive he was, he obviously wanted nothing to do with her so she might as well not even bother.

But she couldn’t forget the weird flash she’d had of them kissing. It made her shift in her seat and press her thighs together. After all, it wasn’t as though the momentary hallucination had been unpleasant. Quite the opposite, to be honest…

She became aware that Shad was speaking again and she’d missed most of what he’d said. She cleared her throat.

“I’m sorry—could you repeat that?”

“I said, we have to change that about you—have to alter the part of you that makes you a ten’sora.”

“Oh?” Harper frowned uneasily. “How can we do that? Some kind of gene therapy or something?”

Shad shook his head. “I’ve tried that before—it’s a dead path. At first I thought it would be good to take you to O’ha, to the gene splicing district and get your DNA altered there. But it never works out.”

“Never works out? What do you mean?” Harper asked.

He looked grim. “You always die there. You’re too beautiful—too exotic—and you attract all the wrong kinds of attention from the cloners and splicers. Even when I disguise you or try to hide you, the bastards still catch your scent.” He sighed. “Usually they kill us both when I try to defend you. It’s…not an easy death.”

“So…you’ve died before trying to do this? Trying to change the past?” Harper asked, feeling sick.

“Hell yes, I’ve died. What do think restarts the loop? Your death or mine or both.”

“So…you’ve died over a hundred times trying to do this?” Harper asked, her stomach churning.

“You have too, sweetheart,” he growled, casting her a side-long look. “You just can’t remember it like I can. I remember everything—every death, every failure—because I have the looper.” He nodded at the underside of his left wrist, where the weakly blinking red lights were located.

“It’s like some awful video game,” Harper whispered. “One that keeps making you go back to the very beginning when your character dies.”

Shad barked an unhappy-sounding laugh.

“That’s about right. The looper brings me right back to the beginning—right back to that beach where I have to keep you from touching the E’lo stone and take you off Earth all over again. Only this time I’m going to try something different.”

“So…this is the first time you’re going to take me to She Who Alters?” Harper asked. “But why? It must have occurred to you to try it before, especially when the two of us kept, uh, dying over and over in the gene-splicing place.”

“Not just in the splicing district—you die everywhere I take you. Either the Hive gets you or you die some other way. Even when I tried taking you away with me to a secure, self-sustaining life pod, to hide out for a couple of years and let the heat die down.” He shook his head and muttered, “Gods, now that was a mistake.”

“Why? What happened? How did I…uh, die there?” It felt surreal to be talking about her own death in the past tense but Harper found she was almost getting used to it—maybe because of Shad’s matter-of-fact tone when he spoke of her demise.

“I believe it was an aneurism that time,” he said, his voice growing suddenly hoarse. “You just…fell down dead, right in front of me. I caught you, before the loop started again—held you in my arms. But there was nothing…” He cleared his throat and looked away. “Nothing I could do.”

“That’s terrible.” Harper wanted to comfort him again although part of her pointed out she ought to be wishing for some comfort herself—after all, it was her death they were speaking of here.

“Like I said, the past doesn’t want to be changed,” Shad growled.

“And that’s why you decided to try taking me to, uh, She Who Alters?” Harper asked. “It’s a, um, path you haven’t tried?”

"It occurred to me to try it many times,” Shad admitted. “But no, I’ve never taken you there before.”

“But why?” she insisted.

“Because fooling She Who Alters is impossible,” he said shortly. “It’s never been done before—by anyone. And the penalty for failure is death.”

“If it’s impossible then why are we doing it?” Harper exclaimed.

“I’ve tried doing the possible, Harper,” he said, and gave her a hard look. “I’ve tried it over and over—tried so many different ways to erase the ten’sora part of you and change the past and none of the possible things I’ve tried work. This time I’m going to try the impossible. Maybe with the Goddess’s help we’ll somehow succeed.”

“And if we don’t?” Harper whispered, her stomach twisting in knots.

“If we don’t then the Kindred and most of the Earth will die with us,” Shad growled. “Look…” He showed her the weakly sputtering red light on the underside of his wrist. “The looper is almost out of power. This is our last chance. If we don’t make it this time, we’ll stay dead for good.”

* * * * *

Shad knew he was stating things too plainly—too harshly. Knew he was being too hard on her. But he told himself that Harper had to understand the stakes—had to know exactly what they were up against.

Still, you didn’t have to tell her the ways she dies—or has died in past paths, a little voice whispered in his head. He especially wished he hadn’t spoken of the years they’d spent in the life-pod before she’d died so abruptly for no outwardly apparent reason.

Gods, what a mistake that had been! He’d told himself he was trying to keep her safe when in reality, he’d just wanted more time with her. And time they’d had—two whole years of it while he fell deeper in love with her every day.

He didn’t allow himself to try and bond with her—that was usually impossible for a Shadow Twin anyway. But he had done everything else. Shad closed his eyes briefly, letting those bitter-sweet memories rush over him…

Holding her in his arms at night… feeling her breathe and inhaling her sweet scent as she fell asleep… waking up to her lovely face each morning… laughing with her…pleasuring her until she cried his name…making a life together… learning each other inside and out…

Foolishly, he’d allowed himself to do it all.

And then he’d gone through losing her and going all the way back to the beginning again, knowing that those two years were gone forever. Knowing that he had failed her again…that he couldn’t seem to stop failing her no matter how hard he tried…

Don’t think about it, he told himself, desperate not to relive the heartbreak he’d felt as he held Harper’s limp, lifeless body in his arms and roared his anguish before the loop reset yet again.

Concentrate on getting it right this time, he told himself. Remember what the Goddess said…

The Kindred Goddess—the Mother of All Life—had come to him often as a child. But as he grew older, Shad had felt his connection to the deity weaken. Still, she had spoken to him once more when she’d opened the Time-door and allowed him to step through after Ziza’s death. And then she had spoken again, more recently…

The last time he’d heard her voice was during the previous reset. He’d been floating in a void of nothingness—seemingly only a spirit uncoupled from his body—when he heard her cool, smooth voice speaking into the blackness.

Warrior, she had said formally. Your quest is not going well because you are afraid to trust—afraid to do what feels impossible.

Shad wanted to ask what she meant, wanted to clarify her statement. But he couldn’t speak in this form—he had no mouth, no body with which to express himself.

Trust…the Goddess had whispered and then the loop had reset and he found himself racing naked over the sands of the beach, trying to keep Harper from touching the glowing purple E’lo stone yet again.

But the Goddess’s words had stuck with him. He’d tried every other way he could think of to change Harper and keep her safe and every time he failed. Maybe this time he should do what was plainly impossible and trust that The Goddess would see them through to the end of the loop.

He had no other choice.

Chapter Four

Juno was a large-vehicle restricted world, which meant they had to land at the spaceport and walk from there. Before they left the ship, Shad handed her a large, pink pill and a squeeze-bulb of flat-tasting water to wash it down with.

“Translation bacteria,” he explained when Harper looked at it dubiously. “So you can understand what people are saying, even when they’re talking in a foreign language.”

“What about you?” she demanded. “Are you going to take one too?”

He shook his head. “Don’t need it.”

“You can speak all languages in the galaxy with no help?”

“Most of them.” He shrugged. “I’m Kindred.”

As though that explained everything.

He also gave her an oversized black t-shirt—obviously one of his.

“Put it on,” he said gruffly. “You’ll attract too much attention in that.”

Harper looked down at the thin red dress, the silky material molding itself to her full, braless breasts, and blushed a little. Then again, why should she feel ashamed? He had given her this to wear himself, after forcing her to strip off the perfectly modest sundress and cardigan she’d been wearing at the beach. It wasn’t her fault the clothes he’d picked were too sexy.

Still, she pulled on the t-shirt without comment. It was far too big, of course. She knotted it on one side, trying to make herself look less like a rag-bag.

Shad pulled on a t-shirt also, as well as a battered leather jacket. Then he reconsidered and took off the jacket, handing it to her instead.

“Here—it’s supposed to be cold out there.”

“How cold?” Harper asked. “Because that is way too big for me.”

“Just put it on,” he said roughly. “Don’t want you getting sick on me.”

It didn’t seem worth fighting about. Harper put on the jacket and tried her best to roll up the sleeves. It weighed about a ton and smelled like him—the same dark, masculine spice she’d been surrounded by in the strange flash she’d had. Harper tried to ignore it—the scent seemed to do…funny things to her insides.

“How far are we from the, uh, forger’s shop?” she asked. She didn’t mind walking—it was her favorite form of exercise and the little black ballet flats he’d given her to wear were reasonably comfortable. But she hoped it wasn’t going to be miles and miles of trudging through a big, dirty alien city.

Then again, what did she know? The city might be beautifully clean and gorgeous. But considering the impossibly tall smokestacks which belched both orange smoke and pink and purple sparks and the dense smog they’d flown through during the landing, she doubted it.

“It won’t be far if we can get a ride on a v-copter,” Shad said, frowning. “That shouldn’t be hard—I’ve got plenty of credit—all that was left in the Mother Ship’s interstellar account after it blew. It’s getting out of the space-port without paying the tax to the Controller that’s going to be tricky.”

“But if you have plenty of, uh, credit, why do you want to avoid paying the tax?” Harper protested.

“Let’s hope you don’t have to find out,” Shad said darkly and refused to say more. Instead, he opened the door to the small ship and motioned for her to step out. “Just stay close to me,” he told her sternly when they were both standing on the smooth, indigo platform where they were parked. “Remember, Harper—the past resists change. I’ll protect you with my life but if there’s a way for you to die, the forces of inertia will find it.”

Harper nodded and swallowed.

“I understand.” She might have taken offense at his man-splaining, but she had no wish to die again, even though she couldn’t remember all the other deaths he’d described.

Their landing platform was located high off the ground—as were the others Harper could see around them. They radiated out from a central hub, like spokes on a giant wheel. Spaced evenly around the round inner platform Harper could see space craft of all kinds, from tiny ships that looked no bigger than a smart car back home to vast behemoths as big as mountains.

Their own platform, a single spoke in the giant wheel, stretched out over an endless void and there appeared to be some kind of elevator located at the end of it, beyond their ship. Harper expected they would head for it but instead, Shad led her further down the center strut of the landing platform, toward the middle of the vast wheel.

“Come on. The taxation officers will be waiting at the bottom of our transport lift. So we’re going to work our way around the central hub and try to come out with the crowd. That way we have less chance of getting taxed.”

Harper still didn’t understand why he wanted so badly to avoid paying the parking tax. If he really had unlimited credit, what difference would it make, no matter how expensive it was? But there didn’t seem to be any use in arguing. Silently, she followed him down the long spoke, which narrowed to only two feet wide, as they got closer and closer to the center.

She tried not to look down because they were extremely high up. She normally had very good balance—she’d had four years of gymnastics at her mother’s insistence before she’d given it up in high school to do drama instead—but she didn’t like looking down and seeing how far away the crowded space port was. She couldn’t even see what kind of people were down there—it was all just a colorful blur.

Shad kept a strong grip on her wrist which she supposed was probably a safety precaution, although it made her feel more like a naughty toddler who might run out into traffic than Harper liked to admit. She wanted to shake off his hand and tell him she was a grown-ass woman and could take care of herself. But the dizzying height they were at kept her from it.

They were almost to the hub of the wheel, which had a much larger elevator-looking thing in the center and was crowded with strange looking people and aliens, when Harper’s foot slipped, seemingly for no reason. It almost felt as though someone had tripped her or yanked at her ankle but there was nothing there.

That didn’t matter, though—whether she had a reason for it or not, she was still falling.

“Oh!” Her excellent balance deserted her and she felt herself tilting over the edge of the narrow indigo platform. A breathless scream left her lips and everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

“Harper, no!” Shad’s grip on her arm tightened until she felt the small bones in her wrist grinding together and then there was a jolt and she was hanging over the void, suspended by one arm. Her shoulder ached fiercely but that was the least of her problems right now.

The big Kindred was flat on his stomach, splayed out over the length of the long strut, holding her up with one hand.

“Shad?” She looked up at him, her heart racing with fear. Panic choked her like someone had shoved sawdust down her throat and she couldn’t seem to get a deep enough breath.

“It’s all right. I’ve got you. This is why I wanted to keep hold of you in the first place.” His deep voice was steady and reassuring. “Just stay still—I’ll pull you up.”

Harper wanted to ask if he could actually do that. After all, she owned her curves but there was no doubt she was a Big Beautiful Woman. Most of the men she’d dated wouldn’t have been able to lift her at all—let alone pull her out of the abyss with only one arm while balancing on a narrow platform over an endless void.

But Shad began lifting her easily enough, the biceps and triceps of his right arm flexing impressively as he raised her back up to the indigo spoke. Harper was just scrambling back onto solid ground when a thick, burbling voice that sounded like someone blowing bubbles through a straw spoke behind her.

“Sooo…I thought I felt a trip alarm go off.”

Harper turned so quickly she almost fell again. Only Shad’s hands on her waist steadied her.

Standing behind them—or rather floating—was a…something. It looked like an amorphous blue blob to Harper. It hovered in mid-air and bulged and twitched, its sides in constant motion.

“Trying to avoid paying the pain or pleasure tax, were you?” Little bubbles of red strobed through the dark blue blob as it spoke, as though they were a visual representation of its words. “My, my…I’m afraid the Controller won’t like that. Not a bit.”

“We weren’t avoiding the tax,” Shad said, sounding completely sincere. “The transport-lift at the end of our landing platform is malfunctioning. We were headed to the central hub to go down that way.”

“Well now you’ll go down this way,” the blob-being said.

Suddenly parts of its blue, blobby body broke off and two large blue bubbles floated towards them.

Harper gasped as the cold, slimy bubble enveloped her. She wanted to run but where to? The blob-guy (was he some kind of a customs agent?) was blocking their way to the middle part of the hub. And she certainly didn’t want to run on this damn slippery metal spoke. Not after almost plunging to her death just moments before.

“Shad?” she asked tightly as the bubble finished surrounding her and she felt herself lifted off the ground, her feet leaving the solid surface of the spoke for the second time in as many minutes.

“It’s all right,” he growled. “We’re just being transported, that’s all.”

“That’s all?” Harper exclaimed as the blue bubble surrounding her floated to one side and then began to drift slowly between the long spokes of the landing wheel and down into the colorful void below.

“Just don’t struggle. I’ll deal with the situation when we reach the bottom,” she heard him say and then their bubbles floated apart and she was completely alone.

The sides of the bubble were thin enough to see though—though Harper wished they weren’t. She didn’t like the feeling of floating downwards, supported only by the bubble. It was like falling in slow motion. Also, what if it popped? She didn’t like that idea one bit. She closed her eyes tightly, trying not to look.

Maybe this is all a dream. Maybe I’m actually back at the beach and I just fell asleep for a minute. In a little bit I’ll wake up and shake the sand off my skirt and go back to my car. I have to get back to work tomorrow. That Stevens account isn’t going to fix itself…

But deep down she knew it wasn’t a dream. It was too real—too vivid. When had she ever had a dream this crazy? And what about Shad? In her wildest imaginings, she couldn’t have made the big Kindred up. She wished they were in a bubble together. Even though he didn’t want her touching him, she felt sure he’d be willing to let her at least hold his arm through this frightening experience.

This last thought made Harper mad at herself.

Stop being such a damsel in distress, she lectured herself angrily. You’re an adult—you can take care of yourself. So act like it.

She forced herself to open her eyes again and look out the transparent blue side of the bubble as it floated gently downward. They were passing over a huge crowd of people all moving in more or less the same direction—maybe the space port exit? But “people” was definitely a relative term

There were plenty of humanoids—people who didn’t look that different from herself and Shad. But there were others too—other creatures? Beings? Harper wasn’t sure what to call them. Aliens maybe. Anyway, they were all shapes and sizes and colors. She saw several who looked like massive walking trees, their branches swaying as they moved with long, ponderous strides. Chattering and scampering from bough to bough, like lice living in a person’s hair, were tiny pink creatures that looked like a cross between a monkey and a raccoon.

At first she thought the tree people were in charge, but then she saw all the pink monkey-creatures hop on one particular branch and chatter in unison. Ponderously, the tree-creature they were on turned in that direction. This caused Harper to re-evaluate the situation.

Hmm—so the monkeys are in the driver’s seat. Interesting.

But there was much more of interest to see.

There were also people who seemed to be made of yellowish mud. They left a dirty trail behind them as they walked but small creatures with five legs and wide mouths filled with long wispy bristles followed at their heels, sucking up every last crumb of dirt and smear of mud as they scampered by.

Wow—vacuum cleaner dogs, Harper thought. Vacu-dogs. Weird.

Scattered throughout the strange crowd were more of the blobby entities. Were they security guards? Customs agents? Harper still wasn’t sure exactly what they were, but they drifted here and there, occasionally singling people out and bubbling them up, as she and Shad had been bubbled. The bubbles drifted away, apparently directed by the blobbies—which were all the same dark blue as the one who had caught them.

Harper wanted to stop the bubble and stare at the strange people and creatures—she could swear she saw someone with a man’s body and the head of a gorgeous moonlight-colored unicorn—but her bubble drifted up again, over a tall wall which separated her from the seething crowds, cutting off her view.

She was in darkness now, which made her nervous. Darkness lit only by occasional beams of light, like spotlights, although Harper couldn’t make out what they were fixed on. From the corner of her eye she saw one of the lights flicker over a blue shape—Shad’s bubble was moving in tandem with her own. Good—at least wherever she was going, she wasn’t going there alone. But when and where would this weird bubble ride end?

Her question was answered when the bubble around her burst abruptly, spilling her onto a hard, slick floor that felt like it might be made of glass.

“Oof!” She landed on her side, on the shoulder where Shad had cut out her Hive tracker and licked her afterwards. It had been nearly healed—perhaps by some agent in his saliva? Could Kindred heal like that? But now it opened again and Harper felt the warm trickle of blood running down her arm under the black t-shirt and heavy leather jacket Shad had given her to wear.

Great—just what I needed. Where am I anyway? And where’s Shad?

“Harper?” His deep voice calling out of the darkness was a welcome sound.

“Here!” She groped for him and found his muscular arm under her hand.

“Stay with me and don’t move.” He took her by the wrist again but Harper shook free.

“Stop that! Can’t you at least hold my hand this time? I’m not some naughty child you can drag around by the wrist or the arm,” she exclaimed.

“Fine.” Shad took her hand in his but he didn’t entwine their fingers, only firmly gripped her palm in his much larger one. Harper couldn’t help feeling like he was holding her hand in the most impersonal way possible—as though he could barely stand to touch her. What was wrong with him? Why did he dislike her so much? And how did his attitude fit with the strange flashes she kept having where he was entirely different?

There was no time to answer any of her questions because the floating blue blob who had captured them in the first place suddenly came into view as a spotlight from above was trained on it.

“Well now, Verlex number nine-seventeen,” a deep, somehow muddy voice spoke from out of the darkness. “What have you brought me today? It had better be good.”

“Fugitives trying to escape the pleasure/pain tax, oh Controller,” burbled the blob and Harper thought his voice sounded like someone blowing bubbles in milk with a straw.

“My, my…let’s just see what we have.”

Suddenly a brilliant white spotlight was trained on Harper and Shad, blinding them. At least Harper felt blinded. She gasped and shaded her eyes, which had almost gotten used to the dim lighting, wincing against the painful brilliance.

“Well, well…interesting. Very interesting,” the thick, muddy voice mused. “A Kindred and a female of undetermined origin.”

“I thought they would be to your taste, my Controller,” the blob burbled. “And thus should pay the tax.”

“Indeed they are. Kindred, I thought most of your kind were dead,” the voice said.

“Some of us yet live,” Shad growled. He was standing half in front of Harper, shielding her protectively while keeping her hand firmly in his.

“And this female…she is quite lovely. So…exotic,” the thick voice went on. “Where are you from, my dear?” he asked Harper.

“A planet called Earth,” Harper answered, not knowing what else to say. “Uh, you’ve probably never heard of it.”

“No, but if it produces beauties like yourself I may need to learn more about it,” the voice of the Controller said. “So—which one of you will pay the tax?”

“Well, I don’t have any money,” Harper began. “But—”

“Oh, credit is not what I require,” interrupted the voice of the Controller. “No, what I want is to taste you—to taste your pain or pleasure. In your case, my dear, I assure you it would be pleasure.”

Something came out of the darkness then. Something long and slimy and horribly agile. Before Harper could duck out of the way, it slid up the side of her face, leaving a light coating of slime on her cheek before sliding away into the darkness.

“Ugh!” she gasped and scrubbed reflexively at her cheek. She felt the same way she would have if a big, hairy spider had just walked over her flesh. Disgusting!

“Delicious,” the Controller murmured. “I cannot wait to taste you more…deeply, my dear.”

“Do that again and you die.” Shad pushed her behind him and stood with his legs braced, glaring into the darkness. “Harper is mine—I will not allow anyone to molest her.”

“If you refuse me the pleasure of tasting your female then I fear I must taste you instead, Kindred.” The muddy voice of the Controller had grown hard. “And I promise you will not enjoy that.”

“Show yourself!” Shad demanded. “You make threats while cloaked in darkness like a coward!”

There was an angry hissing sound from the darkness and suddenly all the lights came on at once.

Harper gasped and blinked. Looking around her, she found she was in a huge, square room with ceilings that were cathedral-high. She and Shad were standing on a glossy black floor about ten feet by ten feet which was surrounded by deep channels that formed a kind of square moat around them. Flowing through these channels, on all four sides was something bright green that shimmered and pulsed. It looked to Harper like living Jell-O.

But the Jell-O moat only drew her attention for a moment. In front of them, across the nearest channel, was a mountainous creature which seemed to be made entirely of brownish-black slime. It had wide yellow eyes as big as softballs and it was lying reclined on some kind of couch while the blue blobby customs agent who had brought them there floated nearby.

This must be the Controller.

As Harper watched, it opened a yawning, toothless mouth, and something black and slimy wiggled out, like a snake or a worm seeking blindly for prey. The thing came to a blunt point and dripped slime on the shiny black tiles as it extended easily nine feet from the Controller’s lipless maw.

It’s tongue—that’s what touched me! What slimed me!

Disgust so deep it nearly nauseated her twisted her stomach into a fist. For a moment Harper honestly thought she might be sick.

“Ugh,” she gasped again, her hand curling into a fist inside Shad’s. “What is it?”

“The Controller is the supreme being—the keeper of the gateway from the space port to the rest of Juno,” burbled the blue blob. “If you wish to enter the city and partake of the many delights our planet has to offer, you must pay his tax.”

“Verlex number nine-seventeen speaks the truth,” the Controller snarled in his thick, muddy voice. “And my tax must be paid now!”

Suddenly Harper felt something at her back. Turning her head, she saw that a thick pole, the same color and consistency of the shiny black tiles beneath their feet, was shooting up behind her. Before she could exclaim, the top of it had reached the vaulted ceiling overhead and small, shiny black tendrils began to grow from the pole’s sides. These curled like vines around her wrists and ankles. Her hand was torn from Shad’s grip and her arms were fixed above her head in an unbreakable grip. At the same time, her legs were dragged apart and more of the shiny black vines started lifting her dress.

She gasped as her dress and the t-shirt she wore were pulled up to her chin, leaving her naked and struggling, pinned to the cold black pole behind her. Her thighs were spread wide and since she had no bra or panties on, everything was completely on display.

“Now, my dear,” the Controller burbled in his slime-choked voice. “Simply submit to my tasting for a few moments and the two of you can go and explore the city. I assure you, I will bring you only pleasure when I part your nether lips with my tongue and stroke inside you.”

“The hell you will!” Harper shouted, fear and rage lending strength to her voice. “Keep away from me, you bastard! I don’t want any part of you anywhere near me!”

Her protests did no good. The Controller only gave her a wide, yawning grin and the horribly long, slimy tongue slid out of his mouth again. Black and dripping with unspeakable ooze, it headed right for her.

“No!” All this time Shad had been trying to free her. But though his muscles bulged, he was unable to break any of the shiny black vines holding her to the pole. To Harper, they felt like some kind of solid, living metal.

She felt something slimy against her leg and shrieked breathlessly. Looking down, she saw that the blunt, dripping tip of the Controller’s tongue was sliding up her inner thigh.

“Seven Hells!” Shad growled. He abandoned his quest to free her and reached down to seize the dripping tongue instead, no doubt meaning to yank it away from her.

But the moment his fingers made contact, there was a sizzling sound and he shouted and jerked away. There were red marks on his hand which looked like they’d been made by a hot iron where he’d touched the slimy thing.

“You see?” The Controller sounded smug, though how he could talk, let alone sound like a smug asshole with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, was beyond Harper. “My taste-touch gives pleasure to those whom I deem worthy…and pain to those who deserve it. Now step back, Kindred, and allow me to pleasure your female. In just a moment it will all be over—your tax will be paid and you can leave.”

Harper felt sick with disgust. Was this her fate? To be tongue-raped by this slimy bastard while she was tied to the black metal pole, spread-eagle and helpless?

“No!” she shouted. “No!”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart.” Shad faced her and pressed himself against her, his broad chest crushing her bare breasts as he wrapped his arms around the pole she was pinned to. One leather-clad knee came between her thighs, pressing hard against her open pussy and blocking the slimy tongue from licking her exposed sex.

“Ah!” Harper gasped at the unexpected contact. It was uncomfortable but she had to admit it was about a thousand times better than letting the oily tongue of the Controller penetrate her.

“Be still,” Shad growled, looking down at her, his opalescent eyes burning. “I won’t let him taste you—I swear it, Harper. Trust me.”

“I…I just…” She shivered and shifted her hips, but that increased the pressure of his knee against her clit, shooting a bolt of unwelcome pleasure through her entire body.

“Be still,” he repeated and there was a look of grim determination on his face.

There was an angry hiss and Harper looked over the big Kindred’s broad shoulder to see that the Controller’s huge eyes, formerly yellow, were now shaded an angry reddish-orange.

“You will regret this, Kindred,” he declared. “One of you must pay the tax and if it is you, I swear it will be a tax of pain and not pleasure.”

“Do your worst,” Shad growled over his shoulder. “I don’t fear you.”

“You should!”

The tongue whipped out suddenly, landing like a lash across the big Kindred’s broad back.

Shad grunted and stiffened and Harper saw a wisp of smoke rising from the place where the tongue had struck across his shoulders. The tongue lashed out again…and then again… Shad’s black t-shirt was in the way but that didn’t seem to matter. The acidic slime of the Controller’s tongue was burning its way through the fabric to reach the vulnerable flesh below, making him jerk with each blow, though he never left his post.

“Shad!” Harper exclaimed when she realized what was happening. “Oh, no—oh no, no, no!”

“I’m…fine.” Shad seemed to force the words out. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were slitted in pain but he bore the beating stoically, though beads of sweat popped out on his forehead.

For me—he’s doing this for me, Harper realized. He’s taking the pain so I don’t have to let this slimy bastard lick me all over.

She was simultaneously grateful and horrified. She wasn’t tall enough to look down his back and see what the damage was, but from the rising wisps of smoke and the scent of burning flesh, she had a sinking feeling it was going to be extensive.

“Shad,” she whispered. “Shad, please…I don’t…don’t want you getting hurt like this for me.”

“Fine,” he ground out. “I said…I’m fine. Over…in a…minute.”

Harper hoped so. As big and strong as he was, she wasn’t sure how much of this he could take. For a moment his eyes rolled up in his head and then he shook himself, making a visible effort to return to consciousness and remain at his post. God, this was horrible!

“Stop it!” she shouted over the big Kindred’s shoulder. “Stop it, you slimy bastard—you said your tax was pain, not death. You’ll kill him if you keep this up. Stop!”

She found that she was crying but she didn’t know when she had started. How had the situation gotten so desperate so quickly? Was this another symptom of the past refusing to be changed? If either of them died the time-loop would reset, at least according to Shad. Was that about to happen now? But this was their last chance—he’d said so. Was this going to be the end of their effort to change history right here and now?

But at last the Controller seemed to get tired of his literal tongue lashing. With a snap, he rolled the long, slimy tongue back into his mouth and the beating ceased.

Shad gave a groan of relief and sagged against her.

“Gods,” Harper heard him mutter. “Gods.”

“Your tax is paid.” The Controller didn’t sound very happy about it but at least the living metal vines which bound Harper’s arms and legs relaxed their grip on her. They let her go just in time for her to catch Shad, who was sagging to his knees.

He was too heavy for her to hold up. Quickly, she lowered him to the floor, pulled down her dress, and bent to examine his back. What she saw made her bite her lip to keep from cursing or crying out.

The black t-shirt was in shreds and tatters, singed almost completely away as though by a hot branding iron. The skin of Shad’s back was a mass of criss- crossing burns and welts that looked like they’d been made by a fiery whip. There was no blood but in places his flesh had been burned nearly to the bone—the wounds cauterized by the terrible heat.

Harper stared at him in pity and horror. Why would he endure this for her? When he didn’t even like her? If the Controller had licked her instead of Shad, it would have been disgusting and she would have felt violated but she wouldn’t have come out of the experience half-dead with third degree burns.

I shouldn’t have let him do this for me, she thought, filled with remorse. Shouldn’t have let him sacrifice himself like this.

Guilt and fury filled her and she glared at the evil being who had inflicted such pain on the big Kindred.

“Hey, asshole!” she shouted at the Controller, who was still reclining on his couch, looking smug. “You can’t just do this—can’t just scar people like this for life! What gives you the right to permanently damage him for your fucking tax?”

She was really angry—she usually tried not to drop the F-bomb. Her mom hated it. But it slipped out when she was pissed off and right now Harper felt like she would happily strangle the slimy bastard with his own disgusting tongue if she got a chance.

“Who said anything about permanent damage? I only tasted his pain.” The Controller ran out his oily black tongue and licked his lipless mouth, as though to capture the last faint traces of Shad’s agony.

“Look at him!” Harper exclaimed. “He’s out cold! You gave him freaking third-degree burns all over his back, you big slimy asshole!”

The Controller looked bored. “The healing t’xl gel in the channels around you will take care of any damage. Use it if you wish but hurry—I have others waiting to pay the tax.”

“Healing what gel?” Harper demanded.

“Here.” The blue blob Customs Agent the Controller had called Verlex number nine-seventeen, had floated silently to one side during the whipping. Now it flew past her and hovered over the bright-green Jell-O looking stuff which flowed in the square moat that surrounded them.

Harper made certain Shad was still breathing and then went over to the edge of the moat.

“You want me to put that stuff on his back?” she asked, looking down at the thick, twitching gel.

“If you wish him to heal.” If blobs could shrug, this one did, only it was more of a ripple which ran through his blue, blobby body. Clearly it didn’t matter to him if Shad was healed or not.

Of course he doesn’t care. He’s not a Customs Agent or a guard—he’s just a pimp who goes out and finds people he thinks the Controller will like to pay his fucking tax.

Well, it mattered a hell of a lot to Harper. It was on her account that Shad had been so horribly wounded in the first place. Carefully she drew back the arm of the too-large leather jacket, which she was still wearing, and dipped her hand into the bright green gel.

The sensation wasn’t at all what she expected. Rather than being slimy and wet, like the Controller’s tongue, the green Jell-O stuff felt powdery and dry in the palm of her hand. It came away cleanly without making drips or drops and she carried it carefully over to where Shad lay sprawled, face down on the floor.

“Just…put it on his back?” she asked, talking to the blue blob rather than the Controller. She had no more to say to that sadistic dick.

“Yes,” Verlex number nine-seventeen said with another rippling shrug.

“Will it hurt? Will it sting?” Harper asked anxiously. She didn’t want to give Shad even more pain on top of the awful agony the big Kindred had already experienced.

“Doesn’t matter… if it does.” The deep, hoarse voice surprised her. She looked down and saw that he was conscious, his jaw gritted with pain.

“Shad?” she asked uncertainly.

“Just put it on,” he instructed. “Can’t hurt…worse than it already does.”

Harper would have liked to dip a finger in the gel and try a little out first but when she tried, she found it was impossible. The bright green glob in her hand seemed determined to stay together.

With a sigh, she decided there was nothing else she could do but just put it on, as Shad had requested. Wincing in sympathy for his pain, she lowered her hand and tipped the contents gently onto the center of his broad back.

She was prepared to spread it gently over his back with the tips of her fingers but she didn’t have to. The green gel at once began spreading over Shad’s wounded and charred flesh of its own volition, covering every area which had been hurt or burned.

Looks like bright green jelly being spread by an invisible knife, Harper thought, half-hysterically. The thought made her want to laugh but when she opened her mouth, a sob came out instead. She clamped her lips closed, not wanting to hear that sound come out of herself again.

Shad gave a low groan but when she looked at him anxiously, she saw it was a groan of relief, not more pain. To her surprise, the green gel seemed to be healing him instantly. The charred, burned lines on his back began to knit together until the flesh was smooth except for a few white lines that looked like years-old scars.

At last the green gel finished its job. Then, as easily as it had spread itself out, it gathered itself into a ball and rolled off Shad’s broad back. Harper watched in surprise as it rolled across the black, shiny surface of the floor and plopped back into the moat that surrounded them. Apparently it felt its job was done and, looking at Shad’s now-healed back, she had to admit it was right.

“Ahh…” The big Kindred sat up, flexing his shoulders experimentally.

“Better?” Harper asked anxiously. “It certainly looks better. Although I’m afraid you’re going to have scars.”

“Feels better too. And I don’t care about scars.” He nodded and got to his feet. “Ready to go?”

“What? Just like that?” Harper was still angry—spoiling for revenge. She was ready to jump the green moat and kick the Controller in his balls—if she could find them under all that slime, that was.

Shad seemed to understand her feelings because he shook his head.

“Nothing we can do—we had to pay the tax,” he said shortly. “If you try to get revenge, he’ll only do something worse.”

Harper could hardly imagine anything worse than the beating slash burning she’d just witnessed but at last, reluctantly, she nodded.

“All right. How do we get out of here?”

“This way. All who pay the tax are given free passage out of the space port.” Verlex number nine-seventeen floated towards them and once more they were enveloped in transparent blue bubbles.

Here we go again, Harper thought. She wondered where they would end up next and hoped it wouldn’t be as awful as what they’d just been through. Although she had only had to watch it—Shad was the one who had actually borne the pain.

Why had he done it? Why had he taken her pain when he disliked her so much he only touched her when it was absolutely necessary and he seemed to have almost nothing to say to her? Letting the Controller lick her wouldn’t have reset the time-loop so it couldn’t have affected their mission. So why would he bother?

Harper still had no answers and considering how closed-mouth the big Kindred was, she didn’t know if she would ever get them.

Chapter Five

The bubbles popped more delicately this time, depositing them gently on their feet at the mouth of the space port, right by the huge arching gate of Twilah, Juno’s capital city. Shad breathed a sigh of relief as he looked around. Yes, this was just as he had seen it in his fathers’ memories.

Deep and Lock, Shad’s Twin Kindred fathers, had been finder/seekers who had been able to project their minds into the astral plane and travel in spirit to many more places than they had traveled in body. At their death, their memories had passed to Shad, because he had been the first born of his brothers.

He had slipped out of the birth canal only a few moments before War, who was quickly followed by Peace. But the timing was enough that when the Mother Ship blew, he was immediately inundated with thousands upon thousands of memories, recollections, and visions of foreign, far off planets and places he had never seen with his own eyes. It had taken him months to process them all, complicated by the fact that he had been grieving deeply for the loss of all three of his parents at the time.

Shad drew on these memories now, using them to orient himself as he looked around the busy, crowded entrance to the city.

“Shad? Where are we? Where are we going now?” Harper asked. Apparently she was tired of waiting for him to speak.

He glanced at her, his heart swelling as he remembered the tears on her cheeks—tears she’d shed for him. Shielding her honor was the most natural thing in the world for him— as it would be for any Kindred protecting the woman he loved. But Harper had taken it to heart, crying out for him in a way he was unable to cry for himself.

There was uncertainty in her jade green eyes now—eyes he’d seen in his dreams since he was a young boy. Gods, how he wished he could take her in his arms and reassure her—wished he could kiss away the sorrow and doubt on her lovely face and tell her how he really felt about her.

But he’d been down that road and had suffered the pain and loss it brought in the end. Even if they succeeded this time in reaching the end of the loop, he would still lose her, he reminded himself. The past would be changed and the path they had taken to change it would be erased from existence—completely eradicated from everyone’s mind but his own. He had the looper which meant he alone would know what had taken place. To Harper, he would be just another Kindred…another stranger…

No, it was better not to get involved this time. Better to keep things as impersonal as possible. He might love Harper hopelessly and helplessly with every fiber of his being…but that didn’t mean she had to know it.

“We need to get to the Thieves' Market,” he told her shortly. “To do that, we’ll need to hire a V-copter to take us.”

“A V-copter?” she said, frowning. “I thought this was a vehicle restricted planet.”

“It is—for large vehicles like my ship. “A V-copter is small and maneuverable—a little like a motorcycle on Earth only it’s capable of flight.”

“A flying motorcycle?” Harper sounded doubtful. “That doesn’t sound very safe. I thought you said the, uh, past was constantly trying to kill us because it resists change?”

“It is but we’re on a new path now,” Shad told her. “We’ve never been here before. And besides during the last, uh, reset—that’s what I call it when the loop is restarting itself…” He cleared his throat. “During the last reset the Goddess told me to trust more. It’s…one of the reasons I chose to take you here in the first place, rather than trying once more to get your DNA changed in O’ha.”

“The Goddess? You mean the Kindred Goddess?” Harper frowned. “She, uh, talks to you?”

“Ever since I was a child,” Shad told her plainly. “She showed me your image before I was even six cycles old.” He looked her in the eyes. “I’ve known for years it was my mission to rescue and protect you, Harper. Almost all my life.”

“I…” Harper shook her head, clearly uncertain of what to say.

Shad was used to this response—he had told her in other paths that she had been his mission since childhood. It always took her some time to process the information.

“Besides,” he said, trying to get back to the subject at hand. “It’s either ride a V-copter or walk. Thieves' Market is about…oh…” He consulted the memories in his head. “Twenty prilecks that way.” He pointed. “That’s about thirty miles or forty-eight kilometers, depending on which Earth measurement you prefer.”

“Oh…” Harper’s face fell. “Okay. These shoes you gave me are comfortable but they’re not that comfortable.”

“All right. Come on—I’m going to hail a copter. Just one thing…”

Harper raised an eyebrow. “Besides riding on a flying motorcycle you mean? Sure, what’s the one more thing?”

“The Junians who drive these copters are extremely sensitive and easily offended. So watch what you say,” Shad told her.

She shrugged. “Fine—I won’t say anything.”

That would probably be for the best since, according to the memories of his fathers, these people were ridiculously easy to offend.

Shad nodded and started to turn away but she plucked at his arm.

“Yes?” He turned back.

“Your…shirt,” she said hesitantly. “It’s pretty much ruined. You ought to take your jacket back—it’s warm enough here that I don’t need it.”

Shad had to admit she was right. The Controller’s burning, whip-like tongue had almost completely singed away the entire back of his t-shirt. All that was left were ribbons and rags.

“Fine.” He pulled the shirt over his head, leaving his chest bare for a moment.

Harper’s eyes widened and she looked away hastily as she shrugged out of the jacket and handed it to him.

“Is…is your back all right?” she asked, still not looking as he pulled on the old leather jacket. It creaked comfortably as it settled against his bare skin, still warm and with a hint of her sweet fragrance. “I mean, what that bastard did to you—”

“I’m fine,” Shad said shortly. “It wasn’t pleasant but it’s over now.”

“Wasn’t pleasant?” She looked at him incredulously. “Shad, that asshole beat—whipped you—because of me.” Her lovely jade green eyes were suspiciously bright and Shad realized she was upset.

He wasn’t sure what to do—what to say. They were on a new path here—one he’d never taken with her before, despite all the times they had traveled the time-loop together. He had never seen this particular reaction—it was hard to know how to act.

He shrugged uncomfortably. “One of us had to pay the tax.”

“It didn’t have to be you,” Harper protested. “You didn’t have to do that. He wouldn’t have hurt me. It would have been disgusting but—”

“Wouldn’t have hurt you?” Shad glared down at her. “He was planning to penetrate you—to violate you, Harper! I couldn’t let that happen.” Just the thought made him feel murderous with rage.

“But he nearly killed you!” she exclaimed. “If I’d known how awful it was going to be for you, I never would have let you—”

“Let me what? Protect your honor? Guard your body with my own?”

“I…I just…” She fell back uncertainly. “I just don’t want you to get hurt on my account. I’m a grown-ass woman. I can take care of myself.”

“Clearly not in this case,” Shad snapped.

Her eyes narrowed.

“I still don’t understand why you did it. You don’t even—”

“Don’t even what?” he demanded.

But Harper looked away.

“Never mind. Nothing. I guess you think it’s your job or something.”

Shad shook his head. As many times as he’d traveled the time-loop with her, she was still sometimes a mystery to him.

Maybe that was why he loved her so much it hurt.

“Protecting you is more than my job, Harper,” he told her. Leaning down, he allowed himself to touch her sweet, soft skin, lifting her chin so that she looked reluctantly into his eyes. “Protecting you is my reason for being,” he told her. Then he let her go and turned away, unable to stand being so close—close enough to kiss—without leaning down to taste her sweet lips.

He felt like a male who was thirsting to death pushing aside a glass of cool water but he left her and went to the side of the broad road. It was paved in round, dark green stones as big as his palm and led out of the space port and into the city of Twilah. Shad looked up and down it, searching for a hailing post. After a moment, he saw one—a tall, slender fixture of flexible black metal which looked a little like a flagpole.

He found the recessed control box and tapped in a code. At once, a line of red and yellow lights flickered to life and ran up the side of the post like a line of ants. When they reached the top, a blazing beacon of red and yellow light came from the very tip of the pole and a high, piercing note began to sound.

After a moment, a V-copter skimmed over the top of the pole, the driver extinguishing the light and the sound with one booted foot. He sank slowly to the ground, the flashing silver of his copter glowing in the sunlight. The copter had no wheels at all—instead, hover jets which burned with noisy, crackling blue flames kept the vehicle humming just above the surface of the pavement.

“You looking for a ride, yah?” the driver asked Shad. He was tall and thin with bulging yellow eyes and deep bluish-green skin that exuded a pungent personal odor Shad tried to ignore. It certainly wasn’t very pleasant. “You got credit to pay, yah?”

“Yah.” Shad nodded. “We have credit. Need to get to Thieves' Market.”

The driver whistled between his teeth—he only had two—big, tombstone-like slabs which looked ridiculous in his small, pursed mouth.

“Pretty long trip, yah? Gonna cost you, yah!”

He named a price and Shad pretended to be shocked. He named a price of his own which the driver claimed was insulting. However, Shad knew that if he had truly been insulted, he would have hopped on his copter and flown away. In fact, refusing to haggle on Juno was more likely to offend someone than the reverse. Finally, after several minutes of bargaining, they agreed on a fare.

“Okay, yah. You get up—I take you there,” the driver said, nodding. “Female in the middle, you behind, yah?”

“Yah, okay.” Shad motioned for Harper to get up behind the driver while he himself got settled behind her. She didn’t look very happy about this but he was damned if he’d take a chance on her falling off the end of the copter in mid-flight.

She would just have to deal with it.

* * * * *

Harper didn’t like the seating arrangements for the flying motorcycle one damn bit but there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about it.

Once they were firmly settled, with Harper sandwiched between the Junian copter driver and Shad, she found she could hardly breathe—not that she wanted to. The driver exuded a pungent aroma which smelled like really bad BO mixed with Cayenne peppers. Harper couldn’t decide if it was his own personal odor or maybe some kind of cologne but either way it made her nose itch and her stomach roll.

“Here we go, yah? Hold on, now!” the driver exclaimed. The handlebars of his copter suddenly seemed to grow, extending straight back so that they formed shiny silver rods on either side of the copter at just the right height to hang on to.

As she grasped the safety rods on either side of her, Harper was immensely relieved. She’d been afraid the driver meant she ought to put her arms around his skinny blue waist and hold on—something she very much didn’t want to do.

Her relief was short-lived, however. The copter gave a violent lurch and lifted straight off the ground so fast Harper gave a little gasp of protest. It felt like she’d left her stomach back on the green cobblestones, about a hundred feet below her.

“Hey,” the copter driver grunted, looking over one skinny blue shoulder. “You no make insulting noises on my copter, yah?”

“Oh, uh…sorry,” Harper muttered. “I was just scared, that’s all.”

“You no like my driving? You say it’s scary, yah?” he demanded in a belligerent tone.

Actually, it was extremely freaking scary. They were whizzing through the air hundreds of feet up at a horribly fast speed with no seatbelts or helmets—not that a helmet would save you if you fell from this height, Harper thought. You’d be dead meat—literally—when you hit the green cobblestone street below. The silver safety rails on either side of her suddenly seemed flimsy and ridiculously inadequate as they flew through the air like they’d been shot from a cannon.

But, remembering what Shad had said about the Junians being easily offended, she tried to calm the situation.

“I’ve just never ridden on a, uh, V-copter before. I’m sure you’re an excellent driver but this is all new to me.” Well, part of that was true anyway.

“Of course I’m excellent driver, me. Yah!” the copter driver exclaimed, proudly. “Best driver in the whole damn city—yah!”

Harper thought sourly that men were the same wherever you went. Even on an alien world halfway across the galaxy from Earth, you could always find a bragging asshole who wouldn’t shut up about himself and his “skills.” This guy kind of reminded her of her ex-fiancé, Jereth.

Behind her, she felt Shad give her thigh a warning squeeze. She turned her head and glared at him as she mouthed, “It’s fine.”

The big Kindred gave her a long look and then nodded as if to say, All right for now. Just be careful.

Harper faced front, trying not to breathe in the personal scent of the skinny, blue, easily offended driver and also trying not to gasp or exclaim at the way he was driving.

While she’d been eye-to-eye with Shad, they had entered an area of high traffic and the driver was ducking and dodging around a hoard of other V-copters who were all coming at them from the opposite direction. He seemed always to wait until the last minute to dodge too, forcing the other driver coming at them to swerve at the last instant, exactly when Harper was sure they were going to crash.

It was like a terrifying mid-air game of chicken and she could just imagine them plowing head-on into another copter and having a fiery collision which would end with their remains and chunks of the copter raining down on the pedestrians below.

Somehow, however, they got past the crowded area without incident and were back into a clear lane with no other copters after a few moments.

“See? I tell you I’m the best driver, yah?” the driver demanded. “Who else can drive suicide pass and come out with not a scratch on other side?”

“Suicide pass?” Harper demanded, unable to help herself. “You mean you didn’t have to take us through that awful place?”

“Of course I have to—is fastest way, yah?” He glared at her over his shoulder. “You want to get to Thieves' Market today, right?”

“Of course but there’s no excuse for…for…ah…ahchoo!” The driver’s personal scent had finally gotten to her. Rather than lessening with the wind of their travel, it seemed to intensify until Harper felt like she had snorted a pinch of pepper up her nose.

The driver looked at her, his yellow eyes widening.

“You dare!” he exclaimed, looking at Harper as though she’d just stuck a knife in his back, rather than sneezing.

“On my planet they say ‘bless you,’” Harper snapped. She was getting just about tired of this guy’s bullshit. “In fact we…Ahchoo! A…achoo…AHCHOO!”

She slapped a hand over her mouth and nose but it did no good. It was like she was a cartoon cat who had been tricked by a cartoon mouse into snorting sneezing powder—she couldn’t stop sneezing!

With each fierce explosion, the driver looked angrier.

“So rude, yah!” Harper heard him muttering. “Can’t believe it, me!”

“Harper!” Shad growled in her ear.

“I can’t…choo…help it,” she gasped and sneezed again. “I can’t…ahchoo… stop.”

Abruptly the copter began losing altitude, descending as rapidly as it had ascended in the first place.

Harper shrieked as they dropped like a stone, rising off the long seat of the copter even though she was holding onto the safety rails with a death grip.

At last they came to a stop with a jolt. They were hovering about an inch above a stretch of deserted road with no traffic in sight. The safety bars on either side retracted, telescoping back into the handlebars. Harper gasped and then sneezed again as they slid away from under her hands.

The driver turned to face them.

“Off!” he proclaimed, glaring at Harper.

“This is the middle of nowhere,” Shad protested. “The Thieves' Market isn’t even in sight!”

“Too bad. First you insult my driving, yah! Then you make the noises of rudeness right in my ear,” the driver snapped.

Shad started to protest again but just then Harper, who had been trying to hold back another sneeze, lost her battle against it.

“Ah-Choo!”

“Off!” the driver thundered. “Off…off…off!”

There didn’t seem to be anything else they could do.

Stiffly, Harper got to the ground and Shad did the same behind her.

With a final shout of, “So rude, yah!” the driver lifted off and whizzed away into the empty sky.

Shad glared at her but said nothing—which to Harper was worse than if he’d shouted or raved.

“What?” she demanded. “What? I couldn’t help it—he made me sneeze! I think I was allergic to his cologne or body odor or whatever it was that made him smell that way.”

“It was very pungent,” the big Kindred admitted at last. “And I’m not blaming you for your reaction to it. But either way the result is the same—we’re walking and the Thieves' Market is still at least five or ten miles away.”

Sighing, Harper fell into step behind him. It was going to be a long trip by foot. Smelly or not, she wished she was still on the back of the V-copter. Then she remembered the suicidal driving of the pilot and decided that no, she would rather walk, thank you very freaking much. But still, it was going to take hours to reach the damn market.

She was completely wrong, but she wouldn’t find out until it was too late.

Chapter Six

It felt like they’d been on the road for days—although it was probably more like an hour. The dark green cobble stones of the road were extremely painful, Harper had found. They seemed intended to bruise her arches and stub her toes. The little black ballet flats she was wearing were definitely not made for walking on uneven surfaces.

For a while she tried to engage Shad in conversation—asking him questions about the future and the world he lived in. But the big Kindred was obstinately silent, marching stolidly along the road on his big boots and giving only monosyllabic answers until Harper finally just gave up and let herself fall behind him. Clearly, he didn’t want to talk to her.

Why is he even bothering with me in the first place since he so clearly doesn’t like me? she wondered sullenly. Oh, right—because the only way to save his entire race is to save me. Also, apparently the Kindred Goddess told him I’m his job.

She still felt kind of weirded out by that idea. She’d been raised in the church—raised to have faith—by her mom. But she didn’t know if she believed in the Goddess the Kindred worshiped or not. She—

Suddenly her train of thought was broken by a whispering sound overhead. The whispering became a flapping and Harper looked up, shading her eyes to see what it was.

Great, dark shadows fell across her face, blotting out Juno’s bluish-yellow sunlight.

“Wow,” Harper murmured to herself. “Those are some big birds!”

But were they birds? As they got closer, she thought they looked more like some kind of snakes that had somehow sprouted wings. They had long, lithe, slender bodies with no arms or legs—at least, none that she could see—and curling, whip-like tails. They ranged in color from deep maroon to indigo blue to emerald green. In a way, she thought, they were actually quite beautiful.

Then one of them began diving straight at her. Nothing beautiful about that.

“Oh!” Harper gasped as the slender, reptilian head plunged, coming nearer and nearer. It occurred to her that the animal had probably just seen a mouse or whatever passed for a mouse here on Juno and she was in the way of its prey. Yes, that must be it.

Or what if it thinks you’re the prey? whispered a little voice in her head. It’s plenty big enough to eat you, Harper—it’s freaking anaconda-sized!

It was true, flying high in the sky overhead, the flying-snakes had appeared delicate—almost fragile. Now that one was getting closer, however, she could see their true size. The one diving at her head had to be at least fifteen feet long from nose to tail and its wingspan was that of a small airplane.

Fear stroked over her spine with an icy hand. She’d been frozen to the spot, watching the flying snake thing dive right at her but now she began to move. If she could just catch up with Shad she should be okay, she reasoned to herself. The snake-things might be big but the Kindred was huge. There was no way any of them would consider him prey.

But when she looked ahead, she saw that she’d allowed herself to fall further behind the big Kindred than she’d realized. He was about half a football field’s length ahead of her now—much too far away to get to him before the flying snake got to her.

Still, Harper tried.

“Shad!” she gasped, pumping her legs, not caring anymore that the dark green cobblestones bruised and hurt her feet. “Shad, help!”

He turned, plainly startled, and his white eyes widened. The snake things were so silent, with only the flap of their vast wings to announce them, that he’d clearly been caught off guard, just as Harper had.

“Harper!” He began to run to her but just then Harper felt something thin and horribly strong curling around her waist. Looking down, she saw it was the flying snake’s long, whip-like tail. It was wrapping around her midsection with frightening speed. Harper tried to raise her hands to push the thing away—off of her—but it looped her four more times, the last loop curling around her upper arms and pinning them to her sides.

There was a jerk and she was rising off the ground, almost as fast as she’d risen when they’d been riding on the V-copter. She shrieked but it came out as a breathless gasp—the snake’s tail was too tight around her for her to get much air.

Shad was below her now, shouting and trying to reach her. With an immense vertical leap, he managed to catch at her foot and for a moment Harper thought he might yank her free. Then her shoe came off in his hand and the flying snake soared upwards, taking her with it.

“Shad!” she managed to gasp. She got one last glimpse of his opalescent eyes—blazing with anger and fear for her—and then they went even higher and he was gone.

This thing is going to strangle me and swallow me whole in mid-air, Harper thought dismally. It’s just like Shad said—the past resists being changed. I wonder if I’ve had a worse death than this in the other time paths we went on?

If there was one, she couldn’t imagine what it could be. What could be worse than being eaten alive by a flying-snake?

But the snake made no move to eat her. Instead, it joined the formation of its fellow flying-snakes, its vast wings beating steadily as they flew on and on. Its tail around her didn’t get any tighter so, while breathing was distinctly uncomfortable and Harper felt like she might black-out at any minute, she somehow retained consciousness.

After some time, she realized they were generally following the green stone road below. Was that on purpose? Where were the flying-snakes taking her? Did they have a lair or a nest somewhere up ahead? Was the snake waiting until it got her to its own place to eat her? Or maybe feed her to its young?

Below, she saw the road was no longer deserted. There were scattered people walking to and fro, most of them headed up the road in the direction she and Shad had been walking before she was captured. Harper’s heart began to pound. Maybe she could get some help!

“Help! Hey, up here!” she wheezed, feeling like an old woman because she couldn’t get enough breath to cry out as loud as she wanted to.

A few of the people looked up but none of them seemed surprised or upset to see a flock of flying-snakes, one of them with a kidnapped woman wrapped in its coils. She saw one little boy tug at his mother’s sleeve and point upward. The mother looked up, right at Harper, then shrugged and looked away again.

Harper’s heart sank. Was this not an uncommon sight? Were these snakes all over the place and people just expected to get captured and eaten sometimes? She wondered wildly what she was going to do—no one even cared that she’d been taken but Shad and he was miles behind on the long green road.

As she thought this, new things came into view below. A few colorful tents were set up by the side of the road. Flags and pennants waved in the wind and there were merchants outside beating drums and shaking tambourine-like instruments to get the attention of customers.

As the flying-snake carried her further, Harper saw more and more tents appear. Soon their numbers swelled into the hundreds and the few road-side pavilions became a vast city of colorful canvas, flags and banners. A sudden thought occurred to her—this must be the Thieves' Market!

How ironic—the flying-snakes were taking her right over the place she and Shad had been trying to get to in the first place. Harper struggled, wondering if she could get free and land on one of the tents. It might break her fall and she could wait for Shad until he could come and find her.

But the grip of the snake’s tail got tighter—so much that gray spots started dancing in front of her eyes.

Can’t breathe…going to die…she thought dizzily and then everything went black for a moment.

When she came to, she found her feet were skimming the ground. The snake’s tail was still wrapped around her waist but it had dropped down into a clear space around one of the tents in the middle of the market. At least, Harper assumed it was the middle of the market. It was impossible to say since she’d lost consciousness for a time.

Sellers and buyers were hurrying all around the cleared area, which was marked off by a long piece of blue tape like a bizarre police line. But no one crossed it and no one seemed to notice a flying-snake was coming in for a landing, dangling a girl from its tail.

“Here now, here now—what have you brought me, Schmendrick?”

The high, flute-like voice belonged to a tiny little woman who would hardly come up to Harper’s shoulder. She emerged from the flap of a nearby blue and yellow striped tent, holding something in her hands.

The snake, which had been perfectly silent until now, hissed and continued to hover, its vast wings beating the air as it kept a tight hold on Harper with its tail.

“Here now,” the little woman exclaimed. She had an incredibly wrinkled face with blue-gray skin.

Like a blue prune, Harper thought faintly.

The woman held up the thing in her hands to the snake and she saw it was raw meat—a huge, bloody chunk of it which oozed and dripped greenish-blue blood down the little woman’s arms.

The snake ducked its head and struck, swallowing the raw chunk so fast the motion was almost invisible. Then it uncurled its tail from around Harper’s waist and let her drop to the dusty ground below.

“Oof!” Harper landed hard, skinning the palms of her hands and her knees. For a moment she just stayed there, head hanging, trying to get her breath back. It seemed like hours since she’d been able to take a deep enough breath and truly fill her lungs, although it was probably more like ten minutes.

“Now then, dearie. How are you?” The little woman came towards Harper briskly, wiping her hands on a length of stained yellow toweling. “How did you find the ride? I hope my Schmendie wasn’t too rough with you?”

“Rough with me?” Harper looked at her in disbelief. “He snatched me right off the road and dragged me up into the sky with no warning! I thought he was going to…going to kill me and eat me.”

Her last words came out choked and she had to swallow back a sob. She didn’t usually cry easily but she’d been genuinely certain she was going to die. Just being alive was such a huge relief that she found she was a mess of mixed emotions inside.

“Oh dear! He didn’t!” The little woman’s bright little raisin eyes widened in apparent horror. “You mean you’re not the girl he was meant to bring? You’re not Hoolah from Earls-da-much?” As she spoke, someone else emerged from the tent—a tall, thin male with green skin, only not quite as wrinkled.

“What’s all this?” he asked in a reedy baritone. “What’s wrong, Mother?”

“Schmendrick took the wrong girl,” the old lady explained to her companion. “He snatched this poor girl right off the road.”

“Well, she doesn’t look like she’s from Earls-da-much,” the male said. “Look at the size of her. And that skin—such a creamy brown. You don’t often see that shade. It’s rare, that is—exotic.”

“Yes, it is,” the old woman agreed. “She really doesn’t look a bit like the people of Earls-da-much.”

“That’s because I’m not from Earls-da-whatever. My name is Harper and I’m from Earth,” Harper choked out. “Your pet snake freaking kidnapped me!”

“Oh me! Oh dear!” The woman shook her head and clucked her tongue. “And I gave him an extra large chunk of tennick flesh too, because you looked so big and heavy and I thought your weight must make his tail weary!"

“You’re right, Mother.” The male beside her nodded and frowned at Harper. “I don’t know how he even lifted you off the ground. You’re a hefty one, you are girlie.”

“What?” Harper didn’t know if she ought to be relieved or insulted. So she was alive and the snake grabbing her had been an accident. But to her mind, the little old lady who owned it—or had at least apparently trained it—was still at fault. Also, there was no need to call her “hefty”—it was definitely adding insult to injury.

Too fat for flying- snake-travel? the marketing part of her mind gabbled glibly. Maybe it’s time to try Insta-lose and melt the pounds away. Never make your snake’s tail tired again when you fly!

A hysterical bubble of laughter rose in her throat and she swallowed it down with some difficulty. Was she going crazy? Had it only been a few hours ago she was sitting on the beach and making a New Year’s resolution to lose weight? And now look at her. Stuck on an alien planet with no idea of where she was or how to get away.

Yes, you do know where you are and how to get away, a little voice in her head insisted. You’re in the Thieves' Market—you must be. And the way to get out is to get on the road and start working your way back to Shad. Maybe if you go now you can meet him halfway.

With some difficulty, she rose from the ground and dusted herself off. The flock of flying-snakes were nothing more than wavering black shapes in the sky above and the business of the bustling market continued around her unabated.

She was headed for the blue tape which encircled the cleared area around the blue and yellow striped tent when the little old lady touched her elbow.

“Here now, dearie—where do you think you’re going?”

“Away,” Harper said shortly. “Your pet snake-thing snatched me from my companion and he’s probably frantic about me by now. I have to get back to him.”

“Oh but just look at you. You can’t go like that. Why, you’ve only got one foot-cover on. The road will be the death of your poor feet,” the old lady objected and the tall green man who had called her “Mother” nodded in agreement.

“You’d much better come inside our dwelling tent and have a sit-down and some refreshments with the other girls,” he remarked. “They’d welcome you, I’m sure. And we could find you some proper foot-covers.”

“I don’t think so,” said Harper sharply. “I’m not inclined to trust any offers from people who own kidnapping snakes.”

“My Schmendrick, a kidnapper?” The old lady burst into cawing laughter. “Bless you, dearie! He’s nothing of the kind. He’s a transporter only he transported the wrong girl. He’s getting a bit old, is my poor Schmendie.” She sighed in a melancholy way. “Almost as old as I am—I trained him right out of the egg and he hatched when I wasn’t but ten cycles old myself. Ah, me…how the time does fly…”

“It doesn’t matter why he grabbed me, the fact is that I have to get back,” Harper said. “So if you’ll just excuse me…”

“But we have to make this wrong up to you,” the green-skinned male exclaimed. “Aren’t you thirsty? Come have a cool drink with the other girls before you leave, at least.”

This was the second time he’d mentioned other girls, which made Harper frown.

“What other girls? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, we’re a way-side transport station for nurses here, so we are,” the old lady explained. “Our slidies bring them in from all over so they can meet prospective employers and help males in need, here at the market.”

“Slidies?” Harper frowned. “You mean the flying-snakes?”

“Bless you, dearie—you really must be from someplace else. Don’t know what ‘snakes’ are, but wouldn’t you like a nice drink to cool you down before you go?”

Harper wavered. Could it be that she really had just been taken by mistake? The old lady and her son seemed sincerely regretful about it and appeared to want to make it up to her. Plus, her throat was awfully dry after flying so far while barely able to breathe.

“Well…” she said uncertainly.

Suddenly a young, pretty face with pale purple skin and enormous green eyes poked out from the tent flap.

“Auntie Bru-bru,” the girl chirped. “Come in and tell us who sings more sweetly—me or Titi. We’re having a contest!”

“In a minute, Nandi.” the old lady made a shooing gesture. “Pie-lo and me, we’re trying to fix a kafuffle out here. It seems my naughty Schmendie has brought the wrong girl.”

“Has he?” The girl giggled. “Oh my—what a mix up!” She looked at Harper. “So you don’t want to be a nurse?”

“Well, no. I’m a…a marketing executive.” It sounded odd to speak of her job out here in the middle of an alien world. Would the other girl even know what a marketer was?

“If you like marketing then at least he brought you to the Thieves' Market where you’ll feel right at home,” Nandi remarked. “Still, you must have been scared to death when he grabbed you!”

“Yes, I was,” Harper said shortly. “I thought he was going to kill me and eat me.”

“What? Really?” The girl called Nandi let out a bubbling laugh. “Oh my, how awful. Come in the nursing tent—you need a drink to cool you down and calm your nerves.”

Her easy tone and manner finally convinced Harper. She nodded stiffly.

“Well…all right. But I can only stay a minute.”

“Of course, of course…” Nandi came out of the tent to take her hand and drag her inside. “Now do come on—you’re missing all the fun!”

Harper allowed herself to be pulled towards the tent but she couldn’t help being startled by the other girl’s appearance. Nandi was nearly as tiny as the diminutive Auntie Bru-bru but she had enormous breasts—almost as big as watermelons. A small, pink lace top was stretched tightly over the giant mammaries and she wore loose-fitting, matching pink trousers which gathered at the ankles to go with it.

“Come on now,” she said, tugging at Harper’s hand and leading her into the tent.

Harper let herself be led, trying not to look at the way the huge breasts bounced and jiggled with each step the tiny Nandi took.

She looks like a live-action anime girl, she couldn’t help thinking. That’s the way they draw them—with those big eyes and enormous boobs! How weird. Then again, maybe she looked weird to Nandi too. This was an alien culture and she shouldn’t rush to judgment, Harper told herself.

Inside the tent, several other girls were sitting around on a wide, circular couch sipping cups of pale purple drink and playing some kind of game which apparently involved singing or dancing. They were an interesting bunch with skin colors ranging from pale, daisy yellow to baby blue to mint green to Nandi’s own lilac shade but they all had one thing in common—they all had abnormally large breasts.

Well, I guess I know what men on this planet look for in a woman, Harper thought dryly. And it’s sure not a good personality.

But if they were all nurses, their breast size shouldn’t matter, should it? Auntie Bru-bru had said they “helped males in need.” Did they all stay here until someone came looking for first aid? Maybe the men of this planet only wanted to be tended by medical professionals with big breasts? But all the women appeared to be of different races—at least, if their differing skin tones was any indication. So how was it that they all had the same huge, watermelon-sized breasts?

It was very confusing but Harper didn’t have time to ponder her questions for long because Nandi was already tugging at her arm again.

“Come over here.” The other girl took her to a small table which held a tall silver fountain—a little like the chocolate fountains you sometimes saw at weddings or on buffet lines, Harper thought. It had four silver tiers and spouted high into the air.

But instead of chocolate, this fountain was spouting the pale purple liquid all the other girls were drinking. A row of gorgeously etched silver goblets stood in a semi-circle around the silver rim. Nandi took one and held it under the flow, filling it to the top, before handing it to Harper.

Harper took it and looked at it doubtfully. It smelled delicious—sweet and light and fruity—and she was really thirsty. But she was still reluctant to drink something that had been given to her by a stranger.

“Um, is this alcoholic?” she asked Nandi. “Will it make me drunk?”

“What? Don’t be silly!” Nandi filled a goblet for herself and took a gulp of it. “Mmm, good! See—it’s not poisoned or anything. Auntie Bru-bru and Pie-lo wouldn’t do that to us. They love us. In fact, everybody loves everybody here.”

“Well…” Harper took another sniff of the goblet and then brought it to her lips. She meant to take just a small swallow but the moment the liquid hit her tongue, her thirst seemed to intensify tenfold and she found herself taking long, refreshing swallows of the pale purple stuff.

Nandi nodded approvingly.

“See? It’s good, right?”

“Really good,” Harper admitted. “I’ve never tasted anything like it. Can…can I have some more?”

“Have as much as you like, silly. That’s what it’s there for.” Nandi trilled laughter again and drank another cup herself.

Harper drank three more goblets of the purple drink, which tasted like a mixture of fresh squeezed peach juice, ripe strawberries, and mangos, before Nandi started tugging her over to the couch.

“Come on—you’ll miss the contest.”

“No, I should really leave now,” Harper protested.

“Of course you shouldn’t—you have to get some new foot coverings, don’t you?” Nandi pointed at her one bare foot. “You can’t go out on the high road like that. Come sit down just for a minute while Auntie Bru-bru gets you new ones.”

Harper started to protest again that she really needed to leave but the big, circular couch looked amazingly soft and comfortable. Despite the fact that ten or fifteen girls were sprawled around it, there was still plenty of room for herself and Nandi. Maybe she could just sit and take a load off for a few minutes before she got back on that awful road and started trudging her way back to Shad.

It seemed like a reasonable idea so Harper allowed herself to sink down onto the couch with a sigh of relief. After all the crazy things that had happened to her that day, it was nice just to sit still for a while and sip the delicious purple punch and relax.

At the other end of the couch, the game or contest or whatever it was, was continuing.

“My turn, my turn,” a girl with mint-green skin was exclaiming. She stood up, her massive breasts wobbling under a tight white top which clearly showed the points of her dark green nipples, and began to recite a kind of poem.

“There once was a girl from kan-fine, who liked to be took from behind,” she began. “When her male pulled it out, she started to shout—”

Before she could finish, some of the other girls started pointing at her.

“Hendie! Hendie, your nectar,” Nandi exclaimed. “You’re leaking, my dear. Better pump!”

“Oh my!” The girl named Hendie looked down at herself in apparent consternation. Sure enough, Harper saw, big wet patches were appearing on her tight, white top.

“Get her the pump,” someone said.

“Here you go, Hendie.” Nandi got up and handed a contraption with two suction cups attached to long black tubing. The tubes, in turn, were attached to a clear, plastic looking bladder which was apparently for storing whatever came out.

Harper assumed the girl named Hendie would go someplace private and pump her breasts. (Was she breastfeeding a baby? If so, where was it?) Instead, Hendie pulled up her top with a giggle, allowing her massive mammaries to tumble free. She fumbled with the suction cups until she got them secured over her saucer-sized nipples, and then flipped a switch on the tubing which appeared to start a kind of motor.

There was a mechanical humming sound and the two cups began to suck and pull vigorously. Squirting sounds came from them as liquid was drawn from Hendie’s breasts and drained into the large plastic holding bladder below.

Harper felt extremely uncomfortable watching this procedure. She had no problem with breastfeeding in public—she thought it was a beautiful thing. (Although, to be honest she was a private person and would never consider doing it herself.) But this wasn’t breastfeeding—this was pumping—extremely public pumping.

The black suction cups looked somehow obscene as they slurped and sucked at Hendie’s huge nipples—almost like mouths which had latched onto her and were intent on draining her dry. Also, it seemed to be…doing things to Hendie to have her breasts emptied.

“Oh…mmm,” she moaned, undulating her hips sensuously as the suction cups pulled at her nipples. “Oh, yes…”

Harper wanted to look away from the strange scene but somehow her eyes seemed glued to the action in the center of the tent. She felt hot and uncomfortable and the red silky gown, which she was still wearing under Shad’s black t-shirt, was suddenly rubbing against her breasts, making them feel sensitive in a way they hadn’t before. But she scarcely noticed because her attention was fixed on the girl getting her breasts pumped.

The situation was made even stranger by the fact that the other girls on the couch didn’t seem a bit fazed by Hendie’s behavior. In fact, they laughed and cheered her on.

“Look at Hendie go! She’s forgotten all about winning the contest now,” one of them giggled.

“I bet she couldn’t finish that poem now if her life depended on it,” said another.

“Look at that naughty Hendie,” said a voice in Harper’s ear and she realized that Nandi had come back to sit with her.

“Um…is this, uh, part of the contest or something?” Harper asked uncertainly. She supposed it might be. Or it might be an alien custom. She tried to remind herself again not to be judgmental of other cultures but really, this was so weird…

“Part of the contest? Oh my no! Hendie’s just getting off on getting pumped.” Nandi giggled again. “She always comes at least twice—once she even had multiples. Watch!”

But Harper didn’t want to watch. Now that she knew for sure this was some kind of a sex thing, she felt even more uncomfortable. Wanting an excuse to look away, she drained her cup of punch and got up to fill it at the fountain again. Behind her, she could hear Hendie coming to an unmistakable climax with a lot of panting and groaning involved.

Ugh—what the hell is wrong with these people? Harper wondered. And to hell with not being judgmental. If it was judgmental to not like being subjected to a public sex show well, then, she guessed she was guilty as charged.

When her cup was full, she went reluctantly back to the couch where Nandi and the other girls were clapping and cheering.

“She’s so funny,” Nandi said to Harper, speaking as though she’d never left. “Most girls can’t come unless they have a customer draining their titties but Hendie says the pump is as good as a male in need any day.”

“A customer draining her…uh…draining her?” Harper frowned. “What are you talking about? I thought the girls here were all nurses.”

“Well we are, silly! We nurse the males who come to us in need of refreshment and release,” Nandi explained. “But when there aren’t any customers, we use the pump. It’s either that or let the nectar go to waste and we can’t have that—it’s much too valuable.”

“It…it is?” Harper asked faintly. She was beginning to understand what went on in this tent and it sure as hell wasn’t first aid.

Just then, Hendie finished pumping and turned off the motor which caused the suction cups to release her nipples. They popped free, leaving her long, dark green nubs looking swollen and full, and the black tubing dangled down to her waist.

“Excuse me.” Not bothering to pull down her top, Hendie pushed past Harper and Nandi, still holding the pumping device in one hand. “Oh Pie-lo—I’ve got some fresh nectar for you…” she trilled sweetly.

Pie-lo came into the tent, grinning expectantly. “Do you now? How sweet of you, Hendie.”

He took the plastic collection bladder from her, which was now filled with pale purple liquid, and drained it in a few long, thirsty gulps.

“Ahh…delicious!” he proclaimed, handing the bladder back. Hendie accepted it with a giggle and replaced the collection device before dropping the suction cups and tubing negligently on an empty section of the large circular couch.

Harper felt sick. She knew breast milk was natural and full of nutrients and she’d even heard of some cancer treatment programs who asked breastfeeding mothers with extra milk to donate it because it was super good for patients doing chemo. But none of that knowledge could make her feel better about the fact that she’d just seen a grown man chug about a quart of the stuff in public right in front of her.

“Pie-lo always makes certain none of our nectar goes to waste,” Nandi whispered confidentially as the green-skinned male left the tent again. “He used to suck it out like the customers do when our titties got too full but Auntie Bru-bru caught him at it and she got so mad!” Her eyes widened expressively. “So now if she’s anywhere around the tent, he just drinks it from the collection bladder.” She lowered her voice even more. “So be sure if your tits fill up and there aren’t any customers to drain you, you use the tubing, okay?”

“What are you talking about?” Harper demanded. “Why would my tit—uh, breasts fill up like that?” She almost said “like yours” but it seemed rude somehow, although it was clear that Nandi had the same “issues” as the other girls in the tent.

“Well because you drank the sex-milk of course.” Nandi looked at her as though she was simple. “I mean, it takes a little while to take effect and there is a short period where you can only let a male nurse but not fuck you at the same time or it negates the effects. But after that passes…” She pointed at her own huge mammaries and giggled. “Well, it’s all fun and games!”

“Fun and games?” Harper looked wildly from her half full cup to the tall silver fountain. “So that’s…that’s sex-milk? And it makes your breasts, uh, fill up?”

“Of course, silly!” Nandi exclaimed. “That’s what it’s for—to fill our titties with nectar so we can nurse males in need.”

Head spinning, Harper tried to calculate. How many glasses had she had of the stuff anyway?

Something like five or six, whispered a little voice in her head. You just couldn’t chug it fast enough.

Harper’s stomach rolled at the implications. She felt a mixture of disgust and panic.

Have to get rid of this stuff before it affects me like it has all the other girls here!

“Excuse me!” She scrambled off the couch, dropping her half-full goblet on the carpeted floor, and ran for the flap of the tent. She had to get out of here! She had to be sick and she didn’t want to puke in public.

She made it out into the dusty landing area where the flying snake had first dropped her off before sticking her finger down her throat. Harper had always hated throwing up—it was her least favorite thing in the world and she dreaded getting a stomach flu. But right now she didn’t hesitate—she had to get rid of the sex-milk she’d drunk before it changed her into an empty-headed idiot with breasts full of strange liquid who would happily let a stranger suck her nipples.

Her stomach heaved and a rush of pale purple liquid came up. It tasted just as delicious coming up as it had going down…which only made her feel sicker.

“Oh…” Harper moaned and then she puked again…and again.

“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!” Suddenly Auntie Bru-bru was by her side. “Whatever is the matter, my dear? What has made you sick?”

“What has made me sick?” Harper used the hem of her t-shirt to wipe at her mouth and then swiped at her streaming eyes. “That…that stuff I drank. Apparently it fills your breasts while it empties your head. Oh God…” Just the thought made her stick her finger down her throat once more and be sick again.

Had she gotten it all? What if there was still some of the weird sex-milk in her system? What if it was too late? She shivered, feeling ill and horrified at the thought. But her aching stomach also felt empty. She’d thrown up so much—it must be all out of her. Right?

“Oh, God…” Harper moaned, straightening up again and putting a hand to her midsection. “Oh, God…”

“Oh, Auntie Bru-bru! What’s the matter?” Nandi suddenly came running up. “What happened?”

“I don’t know, Nandi my dear. The new girl seems to have had a bad reaction to the sex-milk,” the older woman exclaimed.

“Of course I had a bad reaction to it,” Harper gasped, wiping her mouth for a second time. “It makes you freaking crazy. And I’m not the new girl. In fact, I’m leaving right now.”

She still felt shaky on her feet but she threw back her shoulders and headed for the blue tape which surrounded the open area around the yellow and blue striped tent.

“Oh no,” she heard Nandi gasp. “Auntie Bru-bru—stop her!”

The older woman sighed regretfully. “I’m afraid I can’t, dearie. She’ll have to find out the hard way, just like the rest of you did.”

Harper paid no attention to their chatter. She meant to lift the blue tape and step under it to get to the green, cobblestone road which she could see just a few feet ahead.

But the moment her fingertips touched the tape, an electric jolt went through her and suddenly, it was as though a thousand prying fingertips were digging into her ribs and sides and armpits…the sides of her knees…the tops of her thighs—all the places she was most ticklish.

Harper fell to the ground, bizarrely convulsed with laughter. It felt like she was being tickled mercilessly by invisible beings and for a long time all she could do was roll in the dust and laugh helplessly though the situation was in no way funny.

At last her laughter trickled off to giggles and then to panting silence as she tried to fill her lungs with air. After a moment, she became aware that Auntie Bru-bru’s blue prune face and Nandi’s more youthful one were both leaning over her, peering at her anxiously.

“What…what the hell?” Harper asked weakly. She couldn’t frame the question any better than that. Her head felt woozy from laughing so hard and she was still trying to catch her breath. She’d always hated being tickled.

“You touched our tickle-fence,” Auntie Bru-bru said apologetically. “Some nursing tents use a pain-fence to keep their girls in. But, well, Pie-lo and I don’t like that. We run a happy tent here—like to keep the girls cheerful.”

“Well, I’m not one of your girls. I was brought here by mistake, remember?” Harper demanded. She stood on shaky legs and brushed the dust off herself as well as she could.

God, she was really a mess with her hair all tangled and her clothes all dusty and sticky from the spilled sex-milk. Her mouth was filled with cloying sweetness which made her want to be sick again.

“I’m afraid you are one of our girls, dearie,” Auntie Bru-bru said, matter-of-factly. “See, tennick flesh is expensive—it cost me plenty to bring you here and I can’t lose my investment. Besides…” She cocked her head to one side. “You might be hefty but your skin is a pretty color—so creamy and brown. I’m sure lots of males in need will want to nurse from you once your breasts start to fill.”

“That’s not going to happen!” Harper exclaimed. “You can’t just keep me here!”

“Oh, but I’m afraid we can, girlie.” Pie-lo suddenly came out of the tent and grabbed her by the arm. “No fussing, now. Just remember you’ll feel better once your breasts begin to fill.”

“They’re right,” Nandi assured her anxiously. “I was upset to be here at first too, you know. I was on my way to visit my cousin on the other side of the market and I had no notion of going to live at the nursing tent. But after I drank the sex-milk and my breasts started to fill, I saw how nice it was here.” She grinned. “Now I never want to leave.”

Harper stared from the grinning girl to the old woman in dawning horror and understanding.

“That story you told about your pet snake bringing me here by accident—that was all a load of bullshit, wasn’t it?” she demanded, glaring at Auntie Bru-bru’s wrinkled prune face. “You have that damn snake steal girls all the time! Probably every single one of the girls in that tent had other lives and you kidnapped them and turned them into some kind of weird milk-whores! Well, you’re not doing it to me!”

She twisted away from Pie-lo and rushed for the blue tickle-tape again. This time she intended to slide under it without touching it at all. But the moment she got near it, it was as though a thousand tiny fingers reached out and found her vulnerable spots again.

Not fair, Harper thought hazily, as she fell down laughing helplessly for the second time. Not fair—I didn’t even touch it this time.

“The field gets more sensitive every time you try to escape, girlie,” Pie-lo explained, hauling her to her feet. “We have some girls here can’t even come out of the tent for fear of getting zapped. Come on now—we’ve got some customers to service. You come with me and I’ll show you how things are done.”

“No!” Harper moaned, pulling against his grip. But she was too weak to break free a second time. She could only drag her feet as he pulled her back into the blue and yellow striped tent.

Suddenly homesickness overwhelmed Harper, forming a lump in her throat that was impossible to swallow. What a mess she was in! She wanted to be back home—in her own time and her own place. She wanted to brush her teeth and take a hot shower and wash her hair. She wanted to wake up and realize this whole adventure had been one long bizarre dream and she was going to be late for work if she didn’t hurry up and get going.

But it seemed there was no waking up. Instead, she was dragged back into the tent with Nandi leading, promising Harper would see how exciting things were in the nursing tent.

Inside, it was a different scene from before. The girls were up off the couch, standing in a row. They were nudging each other and giggling a little, but for the most part they were silent.

As they neared the front of the tent, Harper could see the reason for the change. Standing near the front flap of the tent were two alien males, one with green skin and one with a pale purple epidermis. They were eyeing the assembled girls speculatively, like men at a butcher’s shop looking to pick out the best cut of meat.

“That one,” the male with pale green skin pointed at a girl with a pale pink complexion, like cotton candy. “She looks ripe and juicy.”

“A wise choice, my lord,” Pie-lo said, stepping forward and dragging Harper with him as he went. “Bianetta is one of our best nurses with the sweetest nectar. Would you like only to nurse at her ripe tits or do you also wish to fill her with your shaft?”

“How much?” the male wanted to know.

“Just to suck, thirty credits,” Pie-lo said in a businesslike way. “Suck and fuck together, seventy-five credits.”

“Seventy-five?” The male frowned and the cotton-candy pink girl, Bianetta, giggled and gave him a coquettish little wave with her fingers.

“I tell you what,” Pie-lo said. “Since you seem like such a fine male and I can tell Bianetta is longing to get her pussy filled, I’ll knock ten credits off the price. Only sixty-five to drink her nectar and give her your own in return, deep in her pussy.”

“Done!” the male exclaimed. He looked at Bianetta lustfully. “Can’t wait to drain my balls in her.”

“This way, sweetie…”

Bianetta held out a hand to her customer and led him to the far end of the couch. She sat him down and unfastened his trousers so that his cock, long and dark green and throbbing, stuck out. It looked like an especially large cucumber to Harper and she shivered as Bianetta straddled the strange alien male and matter-of-factly took his green shaft deep in her pink pussy. Then she raised her stretchy top, freeing her massive breasts, and pressed them into his face.

“Go on honey,” she cooed. “You must be thirsty—why don’t you have a drink?”

The alien male began to suck, taking her rosy nipples deep in his mouth and pulling hard, clearly drinking her nectar as he filled her pussy with his cock. Soon both of them were moaning and neither seemed to care that they were doing something extremely private right out in front of everyone else in the tent.

They probably wouldn’t care if they were right in the middle of the road, Harper thought dismally. That sex-milk stuff is some kind of mind-altering aphrodisiac. It makes these girls want to have sex with complete strangers and keeps them so happy and horny they never want to leave.

Thank God she had thrown up all the sex-milk she herself had drunk…hadn’t she?

Harper told herself uneasily she was certain she had. She’d puked so many times there was no way there was even a drop of the awful stuff left in her system. But if that was so, why were her nipples getting so tender? And why did watching Bianetta and her customer writhe and thrust and suck on the couch cause a strange throbbing between her thighs?

“Oh!” the cotton-candy pink girl was moaning as she writhed all over the male’s lap. “Oh yes, fill me, you stud! Fill me and suck me! I’m going to come—you’re going to make me come all over your big…fat…cock!”

“That one. I’ll take that one.”

It took Harper a moment to drag her eyes away from the sight of Bianetta and the alien male and back to the other male with purple skin standing there, examining the waiting girls.

“I want that one for a fuck and suck,” he said again.

And he was pointing right at Harper.

Chapter Seven

“What? No!” Harper exclaimed, backing away—at least, as far as Pie-lo’s hand around her arm would let her.

“Perhaps another, my lord,” Pie-lo said, his grip tightening on her upper arm until Harper was sure she was going to have a bruise. “This one is new. She just came to us and the sex-milk hasn’t had time to take effect. As you can see, her breasts are not even filled yet. And we cannot allow an exchange of body fluids until the safety period is over.”

“Don’t care about her breasts.” The alien’s eyes—which were a muddy yellow color—gleamed lustfully . “And I like a girl with some fight in her. The rest here are all too eager. I like it when they scream and beg and try to stop me.”

“So you like to rape women, is that what you’re saying?” Harper spat. “You sick bastard!”

“Call it what you want, girlie.” He spat to one side, his eyes never leaving her body. “But if you ask me, a haughty bitch like you needs to be taken down a peg or two.” He looked back at Pie-lo. “How much for just a fuck?”

Pie-lo frowned. “I don’t know… We run a happy tent here with willing girls. Screams and cries of pain and terror are poor advertisement for our trade.”

“I’ll pay double the going rate and put my hand over her mouth to keep her quiet,” the male offered. “Surely you can’t pass that up.”

“Well…” Pie-lo nodded thoughtfully. “As a matter of fact, that does sound like a fair deal. And as long as you’re not exchanging fluids with her, it won’t invalidate the sex-milk already in her system. All right—agreed. Seventy credits.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Harper cried, as the purple-skinned alien male paid the asking price and took her by the arm. “You can’t do this to me! I don’t belong to you! You can’t just let some evil bastard off the street come in here and…and…” But she couldn’t finish the sentence. Dread rose, thick in her throat. Harper felt like she might be sick again and this time she wouldn’t have to stick her finger down her throat to do it.

“Now then, girlie…” Pie-lo patted her shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t you worry. You’ll forget all about it once the sex-milk takes effect.”

“So you think it’s all right to let him rape me now because I’ll forget it later?” Harper demanded. “No—no!”

She began to struggle in earnest but the male who had paid to use her clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her cries and started dragging her over to the couch.

The other girls moved aside, their eyes wide with uncertainty. Clearly they weren’t used to such violent displays.

Or maybe they are used to them and they just can’t remember. Maybe that awful stuff they drink erases their memories of traumatic events too, Harper thought wildly. She continued to claw and fight and kick but the alien who had chosen her was big—probably as big as Shad—and he seemed to really be enjoying her struggle.

“That’s right—fight me,” he crooned as he forced her down onto the couch. “Put up a fight while I drain my balls in your tight little snatch.”

His hand over her mouth shifted as he spoke and Harper was finally able to open her lips enough to get the tender meat of his palm between her teeth. She sank them in, biting as hard as she could.

The male howled and yanked his hand away, spattering green blood across the cream colored cushions of the couch.

Well, that’s going to stain, Harper thought distractedly. Then again, why would you pick cream as a color for a sex-couch anyway? It was just asking for trouble.

Aloud she said, “You like that? You asked me to fight you—how does it feel, asshole?”

“Bitch!” The alien backhanded her across the face as hard as he could.

Harper’s head rocked back and stars exploded in front of her vision. Still, she wouldn’t give up fighting.

“Get off!” she screamed, kicking up so that her foot connected directly with the green alien’s crotch. “Get off me, you son-of-a-bitch.”

“I suggest you do what the lady says,” a deep, familiar voice said.

The green alien, who was already doubling up into a ball of agony, was suddenly yanked off her and thrown to one side.

Harper looked up to see Shad standing over her, his white eyes blazing with barely suppressed fury. She didn’t think she’d ever been so happy to see anyone in her life.

“Oh, Shad,” she gasped, struggling to get off the hateful couch. She couldn’t help noticing the big Kindred was holding a gun-like weapon in his hand. Had he had that on him before? Or was it something he’d gotten at the market?

“Come here, sweetheart.” He held out an arm to her and she ran to him, pressing close to his side. God, she was just so glad to see him!

“Here now, here now!” Pie-lo and Auntie Bru-bru came bustling up, identical frowns on their faces as they stepped carefully over their still-groaning customer.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Auntie Bru-bru demanded, her blue prune features getting even prunier with disapproval. “You can’t come barging in here hurting our paying customers and grabbing the nursing girls!”

“Your customer was about to rape my female unless I’m very much mistaken,” Shad growled.

“She’s not your female!” Pie-lo exclaimed indignantly. “Our slidy took her fair and square. She belongs to us now.”

“I might have to disagree with you there.” Shad turned his weapon on the two alien pimps and glared at them. “And it looks like my blaster disagrees too. Care to discuss it? Or should I just take Harper and go?”

A sullen look came over Auntie Bru-bru’s wrinkled face.

“It’s getting so a tent owner can’t make a decent living at the market anymore!”

“Not if you’re making a living off the misery of others, you fucking whore-masters,” Shad growled. “Harper and I are leaving now. Don’t try to stop us or you’ll be sorry.”

“All right, fine—just go!” Pie-lo snapped. “But know this—your little female has drunk of the sex-milk. You’ll be wishing you’d left her here right enough, as soon as her breasts start to leak and she needs more of the milk to control her cravings.”

“I puked up your disgusting sex milk,” Harper responded, lifting her chin. “So you can bite me, you asshole.”

“Oh, you’ll want biting all right, girlie.” Pie-lo’s alien eyes gleamed. “And fucking and sucking. Anything to try and fill the need. I hope you’ll enjoy the unendurable cravings when your nectar comes in.”

His words made Harper uneasy but she was 100% certain she’d thrown up just about every drop of sex-milk she’d ingested. Well, maybe 99.9% certain…

Fine, she told herself uneasily. I’ll be fine! He’s just trying to freak me out.

“Come on, Harper,” Shad jerked his head. “We need to get out of here.”

“In a minute.” On impulse, Harper ran to the back of the tent and shoved the towering silver fountain. It was heavier than it looked and for a moment she wasn’t sure she could budge it. Then, she put her shoulder into it and heaved.

With a slosh and a gurgle, the silver fountain went over, the pale purple sex-milk sloping over its silver sides to soak the carpet below.

Auntie Bru-bru’s face got even more wrinkled with dismay and she rushed over to the fallen fountain.

“Oh, no! Our milk—our lovely sex-milk!” she cried. “Do you know how much it costs to start a new batch? You can’t even get the ingredients this time of year!”

“Good,” Harper snapped, coming back to Shad, who was covering her with his blaster and keeping Pie-lo from interfering. “Maybe some of these girls can leave this awful life and go back to their homes.” She turned to Shad. “Can that thing in your hand cut through, uh, tickle-tape?”

“You mean the barrier they have set up around the tent?” He shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

“Do it then. Blast a hole in it so when these girls come back to their right minds they can escape and get out of this awful place,” Harper implored him.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Pie-lo snarled. “You can’t take our entire stable!”

“Oh, yes we can,” Harper snapped back. “Shad—do it.”

He took aim through the open flap of the tent and shot a beam of pure, silver energy from the muzzle of his blaster. Harper watched as it hit the blue police-tape-looking barrier squarely and disintegrated the entire thing.

“The tickle-tape…” Nandi’s voice sounded soft and wondering. “The barrier—it’s gone. It’s all gone.”

“That’s right.” Harper turned and took the alien girl's delicate hands in her own. “And that means you’re free, Nandi. You can go back to your old life.”

“My old life?” A look of dawning comprehension lighted the alien girl’s face. “That’s right—I did have another life before I came here. I only wanted to visit my cousin on the other side of the market.”

“And now you can go do that. Or go back home,” Harper said gently. “I bet you have parents who are worried about you.”

“Mana and Patah.” Nandi nodded. “They probably wonder where I went.”

“Go home to them,” Harper urged her. She lifted her voice. “All of you—you’re free to go home now. Go home.”

Some of the girls seemed to get the idea faster than others. Harper thought that the ones who had been there the longest and had ingested the most sex-milk probably had the hardest time understanding. Still, they all eventually seemed to get it and started wandering out of the tent.

“Stop! Come back! You don’t want to leave your sweet Auntie Bru-bru!” The old woman and her son would have rushed after the retreating girls but Shad motioned at them with his blaster to be still.

“I don’t think so,” he growled. “Let them go. You’ve stolen enough of their lives.”

“But how will we make our living?” Auntie Bru-bru whined.

“Get out and work for it,” Shad advised. “Or die in the dirt for all I care. That’s what you deserve.” His face was a mask of cold fury as he turned to Harper. “Come on. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

They turned and left, ignoring the curses and cries the old woman and her son shouted after them.

As their angry, whining voices faded at last, Harper thought she had never been so glad to get away from anywhere in her life.

* * * * *

Shad had to fight with every ounce of his willpower not to go back and blast every single person who had threatened Harper to dust and atoms.

But though he might get away with a certain amount of violence—this was the Thieves' Market, after all—there were limits to what the Guards of the Market would turn a blind eye to. Also, they didn’t need to attract any more attention than they already had.

“Talk to me,” he said to Harper. “Distract me. I want to go back and kill them all for daring to touch you.” He looked at her. “They didn’t, did they? Didn’t…violate you?”

“They tried,” she said grimly. “But no, I’m okay. I kicked the bastard who was trying to…trying to rape me…” She swallowed hard. “Kicked him square in the crotch. He can probably wear his balls for a bowtie right about now.”

“Good.” Hearing that she had not been molested and that her attacker had been painfully punished did a lot to calm the fury that had boiled up inside him.

Harper looked for a moment as though she was struggling with her emotions. Shad watched as she took a deep breath and blew it out shakily.

“Are you all right?” he asked roughly.

“Fine.” Harper sniffed and made a visible effort to push back her emotions. “I mean, I was kidnapped by a flying snake and given unspeakable things to drink and almost raped by a sadistic purple alien but you know, other than that, just fine.”

Shad was used to her flippant sense of humor which she used as a defense mechanism when she felt vulnerable, so he only nodded.

He longed to hold her in his arms and comfort her but he knew he could not. If he held her she would cry…then he would kiss away her tears…and that would lead to kissing her ripe, lush mouth and then they would be as emotionally entangled as they had been on all the other paths—the paths where he’d lost her. He wanted her too badly—loved her too much. Yet his love was both dangerous and useless.

He had to keep some distance between them.

But keeping his distance didn’t mean leaving her in the state she was in. He frowned, looking at the small cuts and abrasions he could see on the palms of her hands and her knees. Also, the place on her arm where he’d cut out the tracker had been bleeding again recently.

“Come here,” he told Harper, and took her into the shade of a public water tent.

“What? Why?”

“Just come.” Shad paid for a clean rag from the attendant and then dipped it into one of the barrels of purified drinking water. “You’re a mess,” he told Harper as he began to clean her injuries. “You can’t walk through the market looking like you are now.”

She submitted to him cleaning her arm and palms and knees but when Shad lifted one of her hands to his mouth to lap her abraded skin with his tongue, she tried to pull away.

“Wait! Why do you want to do that?”

“You’ll heal cleaner and faster if I lick your wounds,” Shad said gruffly. He didn’t add that he wanted to taste her—needed to heal her so badly it hurt. Deep inside a little voice was telling him he shouldn’t—that he should just buy some heal-all bandages for her instead. The Goddess knew there were plenty of medical aid tents at the Thieves' Market. But he couldn’t help himself…he needed to taste her!

Harper seemed to consider his words for a long moment before nodding.

“All right—if you say so.”

“I do.” And he brought her soft, sweet palm to his lips and swiped it delicately with his tongue.

* * * * *

Harper gasped at the feel of his mouth on her. Why did it do strange things to her insides when he licked her palms? Even worse was when he dropped to his knees and began to push up the ragged hem of her red dress.

“Wait,” she tried to protest.

Shad looked up at her, frowning.

“I need to heal your knees, Harper and you need to let me. Just hold still, all right?”

His tone was sharp and preemptory but there was something about his face—a longing in those opalescent eyes that made her wonder if he wasn’t just doing this out of necessity. Did he actually want to lick her? To taste her this way?

The strange thought made her blush and she pushed it away.

He doesn’t care for you that way, she reminded herself. He’s only taking care of his investment—that’s all you are, just an investment in the future. A way to save his people. It’s not like he has feelings for you or anything.

She submitted to the warm, wet swipe of his tongue over her tender, skinned knees, trying not to moan as the feeling of his mouth made her quiver. She had to remind herself several times that she didn’t like it when a man tried to go down on her because honestly, that was all she kept seeing in her head—Shad with his broad shoulders splitting her thighs wide as he bent low to kiss and lap her open pussy…

No! she told herself uneasily. What’s wrong with me? I have to stop thinking this way.

She was relieved when Shad finished her knees and then licked her upper arm where the tracker had been placed once more as well.

“There,” he said gruffly. “You should heal with no problems now.”

“Um…thank you,” Harper murmured uncertainly. “For uh, licking me—I mean healing me! Thank you for healing me.” Her face felt so hot she thought her hair would catch on fire. God, how embarrassing. “I, uh, feel much better now,” she stumbled on, trying to sound casual and failing miserably. “I’m sure I’ll be perfectly all right.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better. Here—I almost forgot.” He pulled out her shoe—apparently he’d been carrying it since he’d lost her to that damn winged snake—and gave it back.

Harper slipped it on.

“How did you find me?” she asked, wanting to change the subject as they left the water tent and started walking again.

He shrugged. “It wasn’t hard. I was able to follow the slidy’s path visually and saw it was heading for the market. After I got here, I followed my nose.”

“You what?” Harper frowned. “What are you talking about? You mean you literally sniffed me out?” It seemed impossible but Shad nodded.

“Kindred have a much sharper sense of smell than humans.”

“You do? Okay, well I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that you can pick out my scent in the middle of a huge market filled with alien smells and odors.” She laughed nervously.

“It’s a good thing,” Shad said in a low voice. He cleared his throat. “I would know your sweet scent anywhere, Harper.”

“You…you would?”

For a moment his opalescent eyes held hers, rainbow colors swirling in their depths. Then he nodded and looked away. “Yes.”

“But if—” Harper started to say but he cut her off.

“Come on.” He jerked his chin in the direction of the road. “We have to get to the forger’s tent quickly if we want to get Master Yll-no. He’s the best life-forger in the entire Thieves' Market.”

“Master ‘you’ll know?’” she asked, frowning.

“Yll-no,” Shad corrected her. He frowned. “We’ve lost enough time already. So come on—this way.”

Harper felt confused at his sharp attitude. It was almost like he regretted giving her the compliment about her sweet scent. Then why had he said it in the first place? And why had he bothered to heal her small wounds? What was going on in that enigmatic Kindred head of his?

Having no answers, Harper followed the big Kindred along the green cobblestone road running down the middle of the Market.

What else could she do?

Chapter Eight

Harper stared all around her as they passed through the crowded market. It was amazingly colorful and it seemed everywhere there was something to see. After leaving the water tent, they passed through a long narrow corridor of food vendors, each selling stranger looking food than the last.

Harper saw a basket full of brown, prickly, spiny things almost like sea urchins about as big as her hand. Beside them were smooth, shiny orange pebbles about the size of large marbles.

“Hey—what are those?” she asked, tugging on Shad’s elbow.

He glanced at them briefly.

“Shugga nuts. The prickly ones are unpeeled. The orange ones are peeled. Naturally, they cost less if you peel them yourself but you have to wear special gloves. The spines are poisonous.”

Harper, who had just been putting out a hand to touch the spiny things, drew her fingers back quickly.

“What about those?” she asked, pointing at a display of rainbow colored wedges in red, green, blue, and purple spread out on a wobbly looking table.

The vendor behind the table saw her interest.

“My lady, these are the finest Bleeka-milk cheeses available,” he called eagerly, motioning her over.

“Bleeka?” Harper frowned.

“A type of ruminant common to Juno,” Shad told her. “Looks like a cross between a llama and a dog.”

“A dog?” Harper made a face. The vendor was offering her a sample of a bright blue cheese but the idea of eating anything made from llama-dog milk didn’t sound at all appealing. She’d had enough strange milk to last her a lifetime at the nursing tent, thank you very much.

A stray thought flashed through her head—Hope I got that all out of my system!

Harper pushed the worry away and smiled at the vendor as she shook her head, refusing the sample.

“No thank you,” she murmured.

After that, they passed by what looked like an open-air vegetable stall with some of the strangest produce Harper had ever seen. There was a fruit twice as big as a watermelon with a pale yellow rind and a bright blue inside. It was cut in half, showing the tiny red seeds that dotted its vivid flesh. Beside it were triangular vegetables in an improbable shade of neon green. They looked like tiny pyramids and oozed purple juice.

And then Harper saw something even stranger. To her right, lying in a bin together, were round, dusky black fruits as big as grapefruit and long, crooked stick-like things about the size of her forearm with white, papery skin. Among the other multicolored offerings, the black and white produce really stuck out.

“Those are retich fruit and kren,” Shad told her when she asked. “You shred the retich fruit with a sharp blade and slice the long kren into flat disks. Then you serve the shredded black retich on the white kren slices. It makes a very visually appealing dish. However, I believe it tastes very strongly—like limburger cheese and sauerkraut if I’m remembering correctly.”

“Ugh!” Harper exclaimed. Her stepfather liked limburger cheese—maybe because he didn’t have much sense of smell. It was so awful her mother made him eat it on the back porch and didn’t allow it in the house. As for sauerkraut, Harper had tried it once on a hotdog and she didn’t care for it at all. The idea of combining the two foods sounded disgusting.

Dog’s milk cheese…sauerkraut and limburger fruit…Did they make or grown anything on this planet that was fit to eat?

Stop it Harper, she chided herself. You’re being judgmental again. Remember, they have a whole alien culture you’ve never even heard of—of course it’s going to seem strange and different to you.

But she couldn’t seem to help it—any culture which thought it was okay to kidnap women via flying snakes and feed them sex-milk until their breasts swelled to gargantuan proportions already had at least two strikes against it in her opinion. Under the circumstances, it was damn hard to give Juno and its people the benefit of the doubt.

“Here is something you might find more appealing,” Shad said. He had stopped by a stall where a bored looking girl with pale blue skin was standing over a kind of fire pit, filled with glowing gold and red coals. She held a long black metal rod with a thick wooden cylinder at one end. As Harper watched, she dipped the cylinder into a barrel of pale, cream-colored liquid.

The vendor pulled out the cylinder, now coated in the creamy stuff, and twirled it expertly over the fire pit. She worked quickly, the bored expression never leaving her face. Clearly she did this same monotonous job over and over all day.

To Harper’s surprise, a warm, sweet smell like baking bread and fresh pancakes began to rise. The creamy liquid was evidently a kind of batter. Once it turned golden brown from the heat of the glowing coals, the girl dipped it into a vat of pale pink syrup and then rolled it in a shallow pan of crushed nuts—at least, that was what the crunchy little golden-brown nuggets looked like to Harper.

As they watched, the food vendor tapped the cylinder on a spread piece of blue and white striped paper until the cooked batter slid off. Rapidly, she wrapped it in the paper and handed it to Shad, who paid her by pressing his thumb to a small silver cube.

“Many thanks.” He nodded at the vendor and then handed the crispy, warm cylinder of cooked dough wrapped in the white and blue paper to Harper. “Here,” he said gruffly. “This should taste better than retich and kren would.”

“Thank you.” Just half an hour ago, after puking up the sex-milk, Harper would have sworn she never wanted to eat or drink anything from this alien world again. But the cylinder of cooked dough—which was about as long as her forearm and as big around as a roll of paper towels—actually smelled and looked appealing.

Tentatively, she took a nibble. The taste was amazing—a cross between French toast and a fresh-baked, buttery croissant. The sweet syrup and crunchy nuggets it was rolled in made the snack sweet and nutty and just a little bit salty too. It seemed to melt in her mouth and soothe her stomach as she ate.

“Mmm…this is really good,” she said, taking another bite and chewing blissfully. “It’s probably got about a million carbs that will go straight to my hips but I don’t even care right now.”

Shad gave her a look from the corner of his eye.

“You always say something like that when I offer you anything sweet.”

For a moment his words startled her—then she remembered about the multiple times he’d tried to rescue her before. It was strange being with someone who was mostly a stranger but who knew her so well.

I guess I’m not a stranger to him, she thought, taking another bite of the sweet dough cylinder. I wonder if he cared for me in any of those other paths or if it’s just business as usual with him?

But though Shad’s words were rough, his actions told a different story. If the big Kindred truly disliked her, would he have shielded her with his body from the awful tongue lashing of the Controller? And would he have gotten angry enough to want to kill her attackers when he rescued her from the nursing tent? Also, would he have bought her the sweet dough cylinder for a treat?

It was confusing—so confusing Harper didn’t know what to do. She settled for answering his statement without commenting on its context.

“Well, I love my curves but I do need to lose a little—that was one of the New Year’s resolutions I was making on the beach when you came and grabbed me,” she said lightly. “In fact, Auntie Bru-bru and her awful son were complaining that I hurt their snake’s tail when he had to carry me.”

She tried to laugh but it came out sounding forced. It was still too soon to joke about the awful nursing tent and what had almost happened there, Harper decided.

Shad shook his head. “I don’t know where you got the idea that you need to be thinner,” he growled. “You’re perfect just as you are.”

Then he strode ahead quickly, not giving her a chance to answer. Harper had to nearly run to keep up with him but his words echoed in her head. Perfect just as you are… Was he serious? And why would he say such a thing?

There didn’t seem to be any answers so she trotted along behind him, admiring the sights of the market as she finished the hollow cylinder of dough.

Soon they passed through a long row of cloth vendors, with colorful squares of every kind of fabric stretched from poles outside their stalls. Some looked like silk, some like fur, some like nothing Harper had ever seen before.

One in particular caught her attention—a piece of fabric which appeared to be made out of exotic, rainbow colored porcupine quills. The quills were long and sharp, shading from deep indigo at their bases to green, purple, and red along their shafts, ending at last with orange and pale yellow at the very tips. The effect was colorful but it certainly didn’t look very comfortable. How could you use a fabric that pricked you painfully every time you touched it?

But when she ran her fingertips over it very lightly, she found that the “quills” were as soft as rose petals. In fact, the blanket smelled a little like roses or some other kind of flowers too. Leaning closer, Harper pressed the side of her face to the fabric, inhaling the fragrance.

Mmm—really nice! It was amazing that something which looked so forbidding could be so inviting once you got close. Speculatively, she looked at Shad. Could the big Kindred be the same? Prickly on the outside but sweet underneath? If so, she wished he would show his sweet side more openly. It would be nice if he’d talk to her a little and hold her hand willingly instead of being so gruff all the time.

Suddenly a dark green face with wide yellow eyes popped up from behind the porcupine quilt.

“You like, beautiful lady? You like the cloth of thorns? The royal fabric?” a person who was apparently the vendor for this stall demanded. “You must like, for you have touched it. Now it is only for you.”

“Oh, uh…” Harper backed away quickly. “Sure. It’s…very nice. Surprisingly soft.”

“Soft only for you, fine lady! Only five hundred credits. You pay now—I wrap it up.”

“No, thank you.” Harper wasn’t sure about the monetary conversion but five hundred credits sounded like a lot of cash. Plus, Shad was the one with the magic thumbprint for paying—not her.

But the vendor wasn’t taking no for an answer.

“Five hundred too much? For a beautiful lady like you, I knock it down to four hundred,” he exclaimed. He had pulled on a pair of elaborate gloves which reached up to his elbows and was already unpinning the rainbow porcupine fabric from its pegs. “You touched it, so now it is yours. You pay—I wrap it up!”

“What? No! No, I don’t care how much it costs—I don’t want it,” Harper edged away from him. She looked to Shad to see what the big Kindred would say but he was striding ahead, almost out of sight further up the green cobblestone road.

“Yes!” the vendor insisted. “See—I wrap it up for you!” He folded the porcupine fabric and put it in a thin cloth bag. “Just for you. You tell me what you want to pay.”

“I don’t want to pay anything—I don’t want it!” Harper could see that her words weren’t getting through to him. She began to walk quickly away but the vendor followed her.

“You want!” he insisted. “A beautiful lady like you must need the royal fabric! And already you touched it so it is yours! It will behave for no one else.”

Talk about a hard sell! Harper thought distractedly as she hurried away, hoping the vendor would give up. Instead, he kept coming after her.

“You pay,” he was insisting. “You touched it—you pay now!”

“Just because I touched it doesn’t mean I have to buy it!” Harper protested, looking over her shoulder.

“Actually, it does. Or rather, it means I have to buy it for you,” a familiar voice growled in her ear.

“Shad?” She skittered to a stop, almost running into his broad chest.

“Is this lady your woman?” The cloth merchant had caught up with them, the rainbow porcupine quilt wrapped in a protective bundle under his arm.

“She is,” Shad said gravely. “Did you say that she touched that—the royal fabric?”

The vendor nodded his dark head eagerly.

“Indeed yes—the cloth of thorns. Once it touches the skin of a beautiful woman it refuses the touch of all others.” He looked at Harper reproachfully. “So you see, my lady, it truly cannot be for anyone else.” He held the rainbow bundle out to Harper who drew away quickly.

“Touch it,” Shad said to her.

“What? Why?” she demanded.

“To prove the fabric really is attuned to you.” He nodded at the prickly-looking bundle again. “Go on—touch it.”

Reluctantly, Harper put out a single finger to touch the fabric. She was halfway convinced that she would be pricked this time. Instead, the harsh-looking spikes twined caressingly around her fingers, almost as though they had a life of their own.

“Very nice,” Shad murmured. “And now I’ll try.”

He put out a hand to touch the rainbow daggers and the fabric actually hissed at him. Harper couldn’t believe it.

“What in the world?” she demanded. “Why would it do that? And how did it do that? Is it alive?”

“Semi-sentient.” Shad withdrew his hand. “The merchant is right—it has imprinted on you, Harper. It will resist the touch of anyone’s hand but yours.”

“But…that’s crazy.” Harper shook her head. “Who ever heard of living fabric?”

“Actually, the Kindred have had something like it for centuries,” Shad told her. “It’s a semi-sentient garment called a tharp which imprints on a single owner. But a tharp can become many different garments. I don’t think the cloth of thorns can be cut or sewn to change its shape in any way.”

“It is most often used as a cloak, good sir,” the merchant said quickly. He had tucked the rainbow fabric, wrapped in a protective covering, back under his arm and he was still wearing the long gloves he’d used to handle it earlier, Harper saw. “When your lovely lady wears it, nothing can harm her. It will be as strong as plasti-steel armor, repelling a knife or sword—even the blast of a plasma rifle cannot penetrate it. Yet to her, it will feel as soft as flower petals caressing her skin.”

“Most intriguing.” Shad nodded thoughtfully.

“Is it true?” Harper asked doubtfully. It was obvious the rainbow porcupine fabric would be protective. But was it really that strong?

“Yes, if I am remembering correctly, it is.” Shad nodded again. “Actually, this is a good thing, Harper. Just think if you’d been wearing a cloak made of cloth of thorns earlier—the slidy would never have been able to grab you.”

“Well, that’s true,” Harper admitted reluctantly. “But it’s going to make me awfully conspicuous if I wear that.” She nodded at the sparkling rainbow fabric. “And I thought we were trying to keep a low profile.”

“Its bright colors warn others away, my lady,” the merchant said earnestly. “It is why the cloth of thorns is also known as the royal fabric. The ones who wear it are important people. Wealthy royals from distant systems who are to be seen but not touched.”

“And I believe you offered to sell it to Harper for four hundred credits?” Shad raised an eyebrow. “It would seem that such a valuable and protective item would be worth far more. Why the reduced rate?”

The merchant shuffled his feet uneasily.

“This particular cloth of thorns is…somewhat bad-tempered,” he admitted at last. “It has bitten and pricked me more times than I can count. At last I hung it outside as a punishment—hoping that it would take a liking to someone—anyone. I will be pleased to get rid of it.”

“Are you sure it won’t decide it doesn’t like me after all?” Harper asked nervously.

“No, never!” the merchant exclaimed. “On you it has imprinted, lady. It will love you for always. It is only other people who are near you that it might become a bit…well, snappish with.”

Harper had a mental image of herself wearing the rainbow porcupine fabric and sitting on a subway or a crowded bus. It was one thing for the fabric to protect her from attacks—but it was something else entirely if it was going to start attacking people around her just because it was in a bad mood. It would be like going out with a badly behaved dog, one that was prone to biting.

“I don’t know…” she began but Shad was already holding out his thumb.

“We’ll pay your price,” he said to the merchant. “I like the idea of my female being protected so completely.”

“But—” Harper began but she didn’t get to finish because Shad was already pressing the pad of his thumb to the merchant’s small silver payment cube.

“Here you are, my lady. May it guard your life and serve you well.”

Carefully and still wearing the gloves, the merchant unfolded the cloth of thorns from its protective covering and draped it around the still-protesting Harper’s shoulders.

It fell over her as soft as silk and not nearly as hot or heavy as she’d imagined it would be. How something so incredibly light could really protect her, she didn’t know. But Shad seemed satisfied—especially after he reached to adjust a fold of the cloth—which had settled naturally around her shoulders like a cloak—and it bit him, its long spines forming a kind of mouth with many sharp teeth.

“Ouch!” he exclaimed, drawing his fingers back and sticking them in his mouth. “Son of a bitch! It’s quick.”

“I did warn you, sir.” The merchant shrugged. “The royal cloth loves none but its owner. All the rest of the universe is the enemy. A more loyal bodyguard your lady could not have—aside from yourself, of course.” He bowed deferentially.

“I see that.” Shad put his injured finger in his mouth and sucked at it thoughtfully. He looked at Harper. “Well, now that you’re protected by that gaudy, bad-tempered piece of cloth, maybe we can finally do what we came here to do—go see Master Yll-no.”

Harper sighed. “Lead the way.”

“Come.” Being careful not to touch the rainbow cloak, he led her deeper into the market.

* * * * *

The way to Forger’s Row was not an easy one. For one thing, even at the Thieves' Market what they were doing was considered illegal. And for another, they only wanted to be found by those who could afford them. So when Shad saw a black tent which appeared to have nothing but a dusty floor and dark, foreboding shadows inside, he thought he was getting close. When he felt the air of menace and dread which surrounded the place, he knew he was.

“Wait—we’re going in there?” Harper pulled back on his hand as he attempted to lead her into the dark and dusty tent. “Why? There’s no one in there. And it feels creepy…wrong.”

“It’s supposed to feel wrong,” Shad told her patiently. “The forgers want to frighten away the wrong kind of customer. Anyone who doesn’t know exactly what they’re looking for won’t go in.”

“So you’re saying the forgers themselves—this Master Yll-no—somehow made this tent seem scary on purpose?” she demanded.

Shad nodded. “Yes.”

“So people who come to see them have to go through a haunted tent to prove they’re worthy? That’s crazy.”

“No, that’s doing business with a life-forger. Come on.” Shad nodded at the forbidding opening again and this time she followed him—albeit very reluctantly.

They went through the empty tent and Shad threw aside the back flap to reveal an amazing sight. The back of the tent opened up into a boulevard of wonders. Behind him, he heard Harper gasp as she took it all in.

They were standing on a row lined not with tents, but with every other kind of dwelling imaginable. To their right was a stately mansion with white marble pillars and an arching doorway. To their left was a castle surrounded by a moat with a fire-breathing dragon perched on its tallest spire. It roared down at them, smoke puffing from its nostrils. Harper flinched but Shad paid it no mind. It, like everything else here, was just a forgery—a very clever fake.

“What is this place?” Harper breathed, going up to a house which appeared to be made entirely out of candy. It had gingerbread walls and fist-sized red and white peppermints lined its windowsills. The icicles hanging from its eaves were clearly frosting and the front doorknob was an oversized green gumdrop.

“The Avenue of Forgers,” Shad answered. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s…bizarre.” Harper was looking across the street at an underwater palace entirely contained in an enormous round fish bowl. “But if they forge money all day, why do they spend it like this? I mean, is this some kind of a status symbol or something?”

“Forge money? You mean make counterfeit bills?” Shad frowned.

“Well…sure.” Harper shrugged. “I mean, that’s what a forger does, right? Makes fake money?”

“Not here on Juno in the Thieves' Market,” Shad told her. “Here, they forge fake lives. Which is exactly what we need for you if She Who Alters is going to agree to meet with you.” He jerked his head in the direction they needed to be headed. “Come on.”

* * * * *

Harper still felt dizzy from everything that had transpired since they’d landed on Juno. It seemed like strange things just would not stop happening to her and she was beginning to feel like Alice in an extremely warped version of Wonderland.

She still wasn’t sure about the rainbow porcupine cloak she’d acquired in her latest bizarre adventure either. It wrapped around her securely but the minute anyone else tried to touch her, the cloak went into a snarling, biting frenzy. Back home in Tampa it would have been a legal liability—a lawsuit just waiting to happen. But here on Juno, maybe it would be an asset.

She hoped.

They passed by more strange dwellings—a grand house that appeared to be suspended twenty feet up in midair with golden steps leading up to it, a tiny pink structure no bigger than a large doll house (Harper wondered how anyone was supposed to get in there), and the entrance to a cavern filled with green and gold and blue stalactites and stalagmites that glittered with jewels and veins of precious ore embedded in them.

But it was to none of these or the various other strange and wonderful houses that Shad was leading her. Instead, he pulled her towards the end of the long street where Harper saw a small, humble wooden house.

It was more of a shack than a house, actually. The kind of falling-down structure someone might use for a garden shed. With all the other amazing buildings on the street, Harper wondered why they had come to this one.

“This is it?” she asked flatly as Shad reached out to knock at the rickety, unpainted wooden door. “All these other amazing places and this is the one you take us to?”

“This is where Master Yll-no lives,” Shad said simply. “He—”

At that moment the door was opened by the tallest and most beautiful woman Harper had ever seen. She was six foot six at least and had pale lavender skin and wide, golden eyes fringed thickly with black lashes. A long waterfall of thick black hair fell to her ankles and she was wearing a flowing scarlet robe which should have clashed violently with her skin tones…but somehow didn’t.

“Yes?” she murmured in a soft, husky voice. “How may I be of help to you?”

Harper was certain they must be in the wrong place but Shad clearly wasn’t ready to give up.

“We are here to speak to the Master of the house,” he said.

“Master of the house? What of the Mistress of the house?” the lovely woman inquired. Then she changed before their eyes, melting like a crayon in the sun, her colors running, her shape changing until she was a young boy, of about seven or eight. The boy had mint green skin and eyes as golden as the woman’s had been. His hair, though, was a white gold that was almost silver. “Or would you speak to another?” he asked in a high, soft voice.

Harper blinked. What the hell was going on here? If it was a magic trick it was a damn good one. Neither the woman nor the boy looked anything but completely real. She wondered if they would be solid to the touch or if it was somehow an optical illusion.

The boy melted just as the woman had and reformed to become some kind of animal—it looked like a cross between a black panther and a lion, to Harper. It yawned hugely, showing sharp white teeth like daggers.

“Well?” it said, twitching its whiskers and shaking out its long, black mane. Its large golden eyes regarded them with interest.

“I wish to speak to the Master of the house,” Shad repeated, frowning. “Only he can help me. I am calling in a debt that is owed to my Twin Kindred fathers, Deep and Lock.”

The panther-lion twitched and frowned—a strange expression on an animal face, Harper thought.

“Name me and you shall know me,” it said at last.

Shad straightened his shoulders.

“Master Yll-no,’ he growled. “I call on you to come forth and fulfill your obligation.”

The panther-lion melted again, this time becoming a mild-looking old man with thinning gray hair and warm, copper-colored skin. He was wearing a simple white robe and a bemused expression on his kindly, worn face. Only the golden eyes remained the same.

“Yes?” he said. “What can I do for you? No, wait…” He held up a hand to stop Shad from answering. “Come inside where we can speak in privacy.”

“Thank you.” Shad inclined his head and he and Harper stepped inside.

Harper had expected the rustic shack look to continue inside the structure, but she was surprised again. The minute they crossed the threshold, a warm, comfortable sitting room was revealed. A soft, jewel-toned carpet in green and blue and crimson covered the floor. A fireplace with a fire of dancing gold and indigo flames was on the far wall and three brown, furry beanbag looking things were arranged around it.

“Here we are.” Master Yll-no shut the front door and made a motion for them to sit down. “Please, make yourselves comfortable and I will return in a moment.”

Harper started to sit on one of the furry brown beanbags but her new cloak reacted badly, hissing and spitting and trying to bite the beanbag, which whimpered audibly like a hurt puppy.

“Oh!” Harper gasped, jumping up again. “What’s going on? Is that thing alive?” She looked down at the furry beanbag which was undulating in a way that made her think it was trying to get away.

“My dear, if you could please take off your cloak of thorns, just for as long as you’re here,” Master Yll-no said. He pointed at a coat tree which looked like a pole with antlers growing out of it. “You can hang it there. I promise you will come to no harm from my humlocks. They wish only to cradle a visitor in comfort but of course, your cloak sees them as a threat.”

“Humlocks?” Harper said doubtfully, but after a glance at Shad, who nodded, she took off her cloak and hung it carefully on one of the antler branches of the coat tree.

It whined softly when she took it off and Harper felt suddenly awkward about leaving it.

“It’s all right, buddy,” she murmured, stroking the rainbow colored spikes which twined around her fingers appealingly, like a toddler begging its mom not to leave. “I promise it’s only for a minute. I’ll be right over there and I won’t forget you.”

The cloak’s sad whining subsided and she felt a little better as she went to sit down again.

But this time as she started to lower herself onto the furry humlock, she found herself falling.

“Oh!” she gasped and would have hit the floor with a jarring thump if Shad, who was already settled in the humlock beside her, hadn’t reached out a hand and grabbed her.

Unfortunately, her bottom landed in his palm so he saved her by getting a handful of her ass.

“Oh!” Harper gasped again, this time for a different reason.

“Forgive me,” Shad said roughly, removing his hand hastily as she scrambled back to her feet. “I acted on instinct. I didn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“It’s okay,” Harper said quickly. “I…I’m fine.”

But was she? The touch of his big, warm hand in such an intimate area seemed to have done something to her. Her breasts suddenly felt tender, her nipples sensitive against the silky red material of the gown she still wore. A shiver of pure desire went through her, making her feel swollen and hot between her thighs. What was wrong with her?

Trying to shake the strange feelings off, Harper looked for her furry beanbag, which was halfway across the room.

“What happened anyway?” she asked, sounding breathless in her own ears.

“I am afraid the humlock rolled away from you at the last minute.” Master Yll-no sounded apologetic. “Clearly it thought it would be hurt again if you sat on it. You must reassure it before it will allow you to sit.”

“Reassure it? How?” Harper asked, bewildered.

“Call it over—coax it and promise you will not injure it again,” Master Yll-no directed. “It has limited intelligence but it will come if you are kind. Although, admittedly it will respond to the tone of your voice more than your words.”

“What—call it like a puppy?” Harper demanded.

Shad shrugged. “Why not?”

Because I’ll feel like an idiot sweet-talking a hairy beanbag, that’s why! Harper thought but didn’t say. She sighed deeply. Well, she had hurt the humlock by trying to sit in it with her bad-tempered cloak, even if it hadn’t been on purpose. And her mother had always told her to apologize if you hurt someone by accident.

“Just because it was an accident doesn’t make it hurt any less,” she had lectured, although Harper’s crazy younger brothers got this particular talk a lot more than she ever had. They were always running into someone or jabbing you with their sharp little elbows and knees when they were little, just because they didn’t look where they were going.

Crouching down to get on the humlock’s level, she put out a hand as she would to a wounded dog or cat she was trying to get to come to her.

“Hey, buddy,” she said in her softest, most coaxing tone. “I’m real sorry I hurt you earlier. I didn’t mean to, I promise. Please come back and let me, er, sit on you. I’m not wearing the cloak anymore so it won’t hurt.” As long as the furry creature didn’t mind being squished by her overly large ass, that was, she though wryly. But Shad’s humlock didn’t seem to be having a problem and she was pretty sure the big Kindred weighed even more than she did. The difference with him was, it was all hard muscle.

A shiver went through the humlock and Harper got the feeling it was looking at her—though she couldn’t see any eyes—and trying to decide if it should trust her again. Watching it cower against the far wall, she felt genuinely sorry for it. Being bitten by her bad-tempered cloak of thorns was no fun and had obviously traumatized the furry creature.

“Hey little guy,” she tried again, forgetting to feel ridiculous for sweet-talking the strange beanbag-like creature this time. “Please forgive me and come on back. I swear I won’t hurt you this time.”

The humlock gave a little shiver which made its long brown fur ripple like a wheat field with a wind blowing through it. Then, slowly, it began to roll towards Harper, looking like a furry tumbleweed. When it reached her outstretched hand, she stroked it gently with her fingertips, as she might pet a mistrustful cat. She had the idea it was sniffing her—although again, she could see no nose—it was just a feeling she got.

After a moment, the humlock rolled closer and she was able to pet it with long, slow strokes.

“Poor little guy,” she murmured, though she had no idea if the creature was male or female. “You’re just scared to death, aren’t you? Don’t worry—it’s going to be okay.”

Harper had always been good with animals. In fact, she’d seriously considered going to veterinary college. But the waiting list to get in was incredibly long and she’d ended up in marketing instead—something she still regretted sometimes.

The humlock responded to her like most animals did and soon she was cradling the furry thing in her arms and humming to it gently.

“Well—it certainly seems taken with you now,” Master Yll-no remarked and Harper looked up, startled.

“Oh, um…I guess so.” She was embarrassed at being caught treating the wounded humlock like a baby or a hurt puppy. But to be honest, she’d forgotten the life-forger and Shad were even in the room, so intent had she been on soothing the strange creature.

“It should allow you to sit on it now.” Master Yll-no nodded at the humlock which was practically purring with delight as it trembled in her arms.

“But I don’t want to hurt it,” Harper protested, feeling suddenly bad at the idea of squishing the poor creature just when she’d won its trust. “I don’t want to put pressure on it when my cloak just, uh, bit it. Can I just hold it instead of sitting on it?”

“Well, that is something of a reversal but yes, I suppose.” The little old man shrugged his shoulders. He turned to Shad. “Let’s get down to business. You said that you are calling in a debt owed to your fathers, Deep and Lock. But they are Twin Kindred.”

“Were Twin Kindred.” There was a catch in Shad’s deep voice but he cleared his throat and went on. “They have been dead these twenty cycles.”

“Indeed?” The Master’s thin gray eyebrows rose in apparent surprise. “Then I grieve for you. But I must ask, where is your own twin? It was my understanding that Twin Kindred fathers always sired Twin Kindred sons.”

“They did sire Twins—my brothers, War and Peace,” Shad said quietly. “I am a Shadow Twin—an extra—so I have no twin of my own.”

“Ahh.” Master Yll-no nodded gravely. “One cursed to walk alone always. Then I am sorry for your lot.”

Cursed to walk alone? Harper wondered what that meant. Did it have anything to do with the way the big Kindred tried to keep his distance from her? Was he barred from ever having a close relationship because he didn’t have a twin brother like his brothers War and Peace did?

“I didn’t come here seeking your sympathy,” Shad said sharply, breaking her train of thought. “I am well used to being alone in life. I need your help—a repayment of the debt you owe.”

“Very well.” The Master forger inclined his head gravely. “It has been many years since I had dealings with your fathers, and yet the debt still stands.”

“Yes, I know—I have their memories,” Shad said. “Which is why I came to you, although what I have to ask may seem impossible at first.”

The Master’s golden eyes gleamed.

“I specialize in the impossible. Name it.”

Shad took a deep breath and Harper had the feeling he was trying to think how to word his request. Finally, he just said it.

“I need you to work a forgery so elaborate…so real that it will even fool She Who Alters.”

“She Who Alters?” The Master sprang to his feet in apparent agitation. “But She Who Alters sees through all subterfuge and punishes any who attempts to deceive her.” He melted into the boy and then the panther-lion again—which made Harper jumpy because it was huge—before reforming as the old man once more.

“Yes,” Shad said steadily. “I know that. But can you do it?”

“I had never even considered it before,” Master Yll-no admitted. “My life-forgeries are good—the best in the galaxy. But I never thought to fool an All Seeing One.”

“Who is this She Who Alters, anyway?” Harper asked, wanting to get some answers herself. “You said she can change me—take away the part of me that makes the Hive want me. But how?”

“Her methods are unknowable but always effective,” Shad said, which wasn’t much of an answer in Harper’s opinion. “And she is a semi-divine being. A Goddess almost as great as The Mother of All Life, whom we Kindred worship.”

“And we’re going to try and fool her—try and fool a Goddess?” Harper asked. “Why? Why can’t we just go as we are and ask for her help?”

“Because she is a Goddess—common people can’t even get near her,” Shad explained patiently. “There are many layers of bureaucracy surrounding her that have to be penetrated before she will even lay eyes on us—on you, Harper.”

“If those around She Who Alters shield her from everyone but only the most important and influential people, then you must have a forgery that makes you someone to be reckoned with. A great power—or at least, someone of supreme interest.” Master Yll-no sounded thoughtful.

“So you’ll do it?” Shad asked. There was a look of cautious optimism on his face.

“I will indeed.” The forger nodded decisively. “I have always enjoyed a challenge and these last few millennia as I have reached the top of my skills, there has been little to challenge me.” He looked at Harper. “My dear, we will transform you completely.”

“Into what?” Harper felt distinctly nervous when he talked about transformation. She kept thinking about the way the Master himself had changed forms so many times, melting from a woman to a boy to an animal to a man. Even now she wasn’t sure if he was showing them his true shape. After all, why should he if he could be so many other things? And what would he turn her into?

Master Yll-no seemed to read her thoughts on her face because he smiled gently.

“Do not worry, my dear. You will not lose your lovely shape or any part of your beauty. We will forge a new life and identity for you—not a new appearance. Now let me see…” He began pacing in front of the fireplace, clearly deep in thought. “Someone important…someone influential…”

Suddenly from the coat tree, the cloak of thorns hissed angrily. A little blue moth-like insect had been fluttering around the fireplace while they talked and then, apparently attracted to the light shimmering on the cloak’s long, rainbow-colored quills, it had gotten too close.

Harper shivered as she saw the quills come together to form jaws and snap at the intruding moth, which barely got away. For the first time she wondered if she was supposed to feed her new item of clothing. And if so, what exactly did it eat?

But the incident seemed to give Master Yll-no an idea because he snapped his fingers excitedly.

“That’s it! You’ll be an empress. Empress Kyreella of Gobesh Prime of the Chavesh-Hie System. You’ve already got the royal cloth to wear—it’s perfect.”

“The which of the who?” Harper frowned. “You want me to pretend to be the Empress of an entire planet?”

“Oh no, no, my dear—of an entire solar system,” Master Yll-no emphasized. “But of course, Gobesh Prime is the only inhabited planet in it. I don’t have time to forge more than one world and all its cultures and topography if you’re planning to go to see She Who Alters at once.”

“We are—as soon as possible,” Shad said.

“Then one inhabited planet it is. The rest can be ice balls or gas giants.” Master Yll-no closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. When he spoke again, there was an echo of power in his words that Harper had never heard before. “Gobesh Prime a small world, but a rich one,” he said.

In the air before him, a globe about as big as a beach ball appeared, glowing faintly gold around its circumference.

“It has oceans filled with fish and unknowable sea beasts in its depths. There are high purple mountains, majestic in their grandeur, and fertile valleys where the common people plant crops of fruit and grains.”

As Master Yll-no spoke, what he was saying actually came to pass. Harper watched in amazement as the globe colored itself in, the oceans becoming a deep green, majestic royal purple mountains rising, and fields and valleys popping up too. Tiny people appeared as well, working hard with what looked like harvesting and planting machines among rows of crops.

“There are cities filled with tall buildings, marvelous inventions and rich culture…as well as rural areas with rich farmland and beautiful scenery.”

Cities appeared over the purple land masses and tiny vehicles traversed roads which unrolled in front of them like silvery ribbons.

“You, my Empress, live in a golden castle by the sea,” Yll-no continued and a small golden palace with tall spires rose at the edge of the green ocean. “You have been raised to rule but you long for someone by your side. A royal alliance from beyond the stars. But there is something about you—something which must be Altered in order for you to find this love—this is why you are going to seek out She Who Alters.”

As he spoke, a miniature Harper came out to stand on a miniscule balcony. She lifted her face as though looking out at the night sky. Though she was barely as big as Harper’s pinky finger, Harper could plainly see the look of longing on her tiny doppelganger’s face.

“This is amazing,” she whispered to Shad. “How is he doing all this?”

“It is the forger’s craft—to speak things into being. To weave dreams into reality,” Shad murmured back.

“Is it just an optical illusion?” Harper asked.

This time it was Master Yll-no who answered.

“Assuredly not, my dear. It is real, as are all my forgeries. Go on—touch it. I can tell you want to.” Master Yll-no gestured expansively at the globe which still hovered in mid-air before him.

Hesitantly, Harper raised up on her knees and put out a hand. She didn’t want to hurt all the little pinky-sized people, so she contented herself with dipping one finger into the deep green ocean. It came away wet and she stared at it in wonder.

“But then…if everything you make is real, why do you call it a forgery?” she asked, looking at her wet finger and then back to the miniature world, perfect in every detail.

A look of sorrow passed over the Master’s face.

“Because, alas, they do not last. My forgeries are very good—some can endure for years—but they all, eventually, disintegrate into dust.”

“Wow,” Harper murmured uneasily. “So how long will this…this new life you’re forging for me last?”

She was afraid Master Yll-no would tell her it could only last a day or two which would make their schedule extremely tight. She didn’t want to be standing in front of the Goddess they were going to when her new life melted away around her like Cinderella’s gorgeous ball gown fading to rags at the stroke of midnight.

But the forger’s next words set her mind at ease.

“With a forgery this elaborate I’m afraid I can only guarantee it for a year and a day,” he said, sighing.

“A year and a day?” Harper asked, cautiously optimistic. “Like an Earth year—three hundred and sixty-five days?” She knew that years could be different lengths on different planets depending on their size and rotation around their sun.

“Precisely.” Master Yll-no nodded. “Will that time be sufficient?”

“It should be more than enough time to get to Pelegiez-R where She Who Alters holds court,” Shad said. “Thank you, Master.”

“You are more than welcome. Now let me continue—I am just warming to my task.” The Master forger appeared to be really enjoying himself so Harper and Shad were silent as he continued.

“As an Empress, of course, you have a massive royal ship—golden I think—befitting your rank.”

A golden ship, about an eighth as big as the globe which represented Harper’s fake home world appeared, gleaming in the firelight.

“You wear gorgeous dresses—many of which you have brought with you on your ship,” Yll’no continued.

“Excuse me.” Harper hated to interrupt, but she had to ask. “Talking about the world and the ship and these gorgeous dresses, are they only here?” She gestured at the miniature glowing globe and ship. “I mean, this may be a stupid question but how can we use them if they’re so tiny?”

“Oh, these are only representations—models if you will—of the actual objects I am speaking into being,” Master Yll-no explained. “Far away in the Raphesh Nine sector of space, there really is a huge planet, just like this tiny one. As for your ship, it and all its crew will be waiting for you, docked near the ship you came in at the spaceport.”

“Really? Wow!” Harper tried to imagine the gorgeous golden ship blown up to full size and couldn’t quite picture it. It would certainly take up more than one spoke on the landing platform’s wheel. In fact, it might take up an entire landing platform of its own.

“Yes, really,” Master Yll-no assured her. “And speaking of crew, of course, there are many servants who adore you, also aboard your royal space yacht.”

“There must be a place for me as well,” Shad pointed out. “I have to be near her, to protect her.”

Master Yll-no nodded. “As I said, there are many servants but none as loyal as your faithful bodyguard. He never leaves your side, Empress—he attends to all your needs and cares for you both day and night.”

Beside the tiny Harper figure, a small Shad came out, dressed in black leather trousers and a black leather vest to match which showed off his muscular arms. Harper wondered if the big Kindred would object to being called a servant and relegated to the post of bodyguard but he nodded with apparent satisfaction.

“That’s good. Thank you, Master.”

Harper wasn’t sure about the whole “caring for her day and night” thing but the Master forger was going on, adding details to the ship and her fake home planet, spinning the small globe and the golden space yacht in midair which responded instantly to his words.

What he was doing was fascinating and Harper enjoyed watching as the things he described came into being right in front of them but after a while, she began to have a hard time concentrating. It wasn’t that the things Master Yll-no was doing became less interesting—it was the fact that she had a feeling something was wrong. Not with the scenario the Master forger was creating—something was wrong inside—with her.

It started as a feeling of heaviness in her breasts. They were big anyway so Harper wasn’t super comfortable going braless as she was now but it hadn’t bothered her quite this much before. Her nipples were sensitive too—and she realized they had been for a while—she’d just been too busy to notice it. Now they were getting so uncomfortable, she couldn’t help noticing.

As unobtrusively as she could, she tried to pluck the material of her red dress away from her aching breasts, in order to ease the tingling in her nipples. It helped a little—not much—and she shifted uncomfortably, realizing that her nipples weren’t the only part of her that was suddenly and unaccountably tender.

Between her thighs, her sex felt swollen and hot, her pussy aching to be touched.

Oh my God, what’s wrong with me? Harper pressed her legs together, trying to ignore the strange aching pull she was beginning to feel.

The humlock wiggled in her arms and gave a small sound of protest and she realized she had been unconsciously squeezing it.

“Sorry, little guy,” she murmured, looking down at it as she stroked its fur. But what she saw made her eyes widen.

Were her breasts getting bigger?

Surely not—they can’t be. But what if they are?

Harper bit her lip, trying to look at her chest as unobtrusively as possible but the black t-shirt she was still wearing over her dress got in the way. She needed to get a really good look at herself but she was afraid she was going to draw the attention of both Shad and Master Yll-no. What she needed was privacy.

“Excuse me,” she said hesitantly the next time there was a break in the Master forger’s speech. “Could you direct me to your ladies' room?”

He frowned. “I am afraid I do not have a room specifically set aside for ladies here in my home.”

“Your bathroom, I mean,” Harper said quickly.

Yll-no raised an eyebrow. “Do you wish to take a bath, my dear? You might want to wait until you get back to the space yacht I am forging for you. The bathing facilities will be truly sumptuous, I promise.”

Shad was frowning as well, as though he wondered if she was all right. But he only said, “I think Harper needs to relieve herself. Do you have a room for that purpose?”

“Oh, a personal waste disposal room! Why didn’t you say so?” Master Yll-no laughed. “Of course, my dear. Just take this door to the right, go down the hallway, and it will be the third door on your left.”

“Thank you.” Harper nodded gratefully and rose, still holding the humlock in her arms. She waited until Shad was watching Master Yll-no’s forgery again before setting it down carefully and walking quickly out of the door. Her breasts definitely felt larger and heavier and she didn’t want the big Kindred to notice if she could help it.

Chapter Nine

There was no mirror in the bathroom but there was a kind of silvery fog which coalesced into five flat, reflective surfaces when Harper touched it lightly with her fingertips. The five surfaces reflected her from front, back, and both sides as well as, bizarrely, from above so it looked like she was peering down at the top of her own head. Okay, that was weird but Harper didn’t care at this point—the mist-mirror with its strange angles would work fine for her purpose.

Taking a deep breath to control her nerves, she slipped off the t-shirt and looked at her chest. Her breasts definitely looked bigger under the red dress. But when she slipped the stretchy top of the gown down, she had to bite back a scream.

There was no doubt her breasts were bigger—much bigger—but that wasn’t the only upsetting thing. Her nipples, which had always been light brown, just a few shades darker than her skin, had turned a blackberry color—a deep purple that didn’t seem right or natural to Harper at all. Even worse, when she took one breast in her hand and squeezed the nipple experimentally, a drop of pale purple fluid leaked out.

“Oh my God,” Harper whispered to herself. “The sex-milk! I thought I threw it all up!”

Well apparently not, hon, whispered a sarcastic little voice in her head. Because you’ve definitely got the same problem all those girls at the nursing tent had.

Harper stared at her reflection in horror. In the side views the mist-mirror showed, her breasts looked positively huge. They weren’t quite watermelon-sized yet but they still seemed to be growing and filling with the weird nectar she’d seen the girls at the nursing tent pump out of their boobs. What was she going to do about this? She didn’t have a breast pump to use and she couldn’t hide it from Shad forever.

For a moment, she flashed on the idea of asking the big Kindred to help her. The mental image of him ducking his head to take one of her ripe nipples between his lips sent a flush of heat to her swollen pussy but Harper quickly pushed it away.

She couldn’t ask Shad for help that way—he didn’t even like her. To him, she was just a responsibility to be taken care of. The key to changing the past and keeping his people from being annihilated by the Hive. Sure, he was gorgeous but Harper couldn’t get past his cold disinterest enough to think of him in a sexual way…or so she told herself. Still, she couldn’t get the idea of him touching her…sucking her nipples…out of her head.

Stop it, she told herself roughly. He doesn’t like you and he wouldn’t want to help you like that. If he did help, it would only be out of a sense of pity or duty. Besides, you didn’t like the idea of the male customers drinking “nectar” from the other girls, what makes you think Shad would want to suck it out of your breasts? It’s a sick idea—the whole nursing tent and what they were doing there is sick—disgusting!

Then why wouldn’t the idea leave her head? And why was she getting more and more turned on, despite the desperate situation she found herself in? She ought to be freaking out about this—instead she had the almost overwhelming urge to rub her swollen pussy until she came.

Two things stopped her from doing it.

One, she had the very strong feeling that if she gave in to temptation—to this feeling of all pervasive lust that was clouding her judgment—she would never stop. She clearly remembered how willing and even eager all the girls at the nursing tent had been to have sex with complete strangers. Harper had the idea that if she started by giving herself pleasure, she would end by begging Shad to service her as well and she didn’t want that—didn’t want to beg a man she barely knew and who clearly didn’t like her—to help her sexually.

The second thing that stopped her urge for self-exploration was the fear that Shad and their host might hear her. She tended to get loud if she wasn’t careful and she had the idea that the sex-milk aphrodisiac she had ingested would make it really hard for her to be careful and quiet. She didn’t need to start moaning and gasping and advertising her problem—what she needed was to get someplace even more private—and preferably soundproof—so she could take care of herself and try to figure out what to do next.

But where was she going to find someplace like that?

Then Master Yll-no’s words came back to her…“Do you wish to take a bath, my dear? You might want to wait until you get back to the space yacht I am forging for you. The bathing facilities will be truly sumptuous, I promise.”

That’s what I need—to get back to the new ship he’s making for us, Harper told herself. I’m sure I can find a way to help myself and get some relief there. After all, how long can this possibly last?

Then she remembered something else—what Pie-lo had said about hoping she enjoyed her “insatiable cravings.” Was this what he’d been talking about? How long did the effects of the sex-milk last? And was there any antidote?

I wonder if they’ll have access to the Interweb on the new ship? Harper wondered. She knew Shad did—it was kind of like the Internet but for the entire known galaxy. Surely she could find some information on her plight and how to deal with it there.

The idea reinforced the feeling that she had to get away from here. Had to get someplace where she could figure this mess out on her own.

And she had to do it quick before her breasts got any bigger or started leaking.

“Right,” Harper muttered to herself. She pulled up her gown and pulled down the t-shirt. She’d had it knotted at her side before but now she unknotted it and let it hang loose, which made it considerably roomier. Satisfied at last that her problem was hidden, Harper fluffed her hair and left the bathroom. But she knew her new, larger breasts wouldn’t stay hidden for long.

She had to get out of here fast.

* * * * *

Shad thought Harper seemed distracted and withdrawn when she came back from the fresher unit. But he supposed she was simply trying to digest all the strange things that had happened to them that day. It had been incredibly rough on her, he knew. From the moment he’d grabbed her on the beach it seemed they hadn’t had a moment’s peace or rest. He hoped they would be able to take it easy and catch their breath once they got aboard the fabulous space yacht Master Yll-no was forging for them.

Of course, they had to get to it first.

So when the Master forger finally finished speaking Harper’s new life into being, he had a request.

“Master Yll-no,” he said. “I would ask you for one more thing—a V-copter of our own to take us back to the spaceport. It is a long, weary journey and I would be pleased to get there sooner rather than later.”

The Master forger’s golden eyes gleamed.

“As to that, I can do better than a V-copter. I can transport the two of you directly to the ship I have forged for you simply by moving your doppelgangers there.” He gestured to the miniscule Harper and Shad figures which were still standing on the balcony of the palace on the model of their new home world.

Harper frowned. “But since you, uh, spoke all this into being, will we meet ourselves there? I mean, will there suddenly be two of us?”

“Naturally not, my dear—that is dimensionally impossible. I would have to merge these doppelgangers into you eventually anyway—transporting you as I do so will simply save time.”

“So…that won’t change us at all?” Harper still seemed hesitant. She had her arms crossed over her chest in a strangely protective way that made Shad frown—was something wrong with her?

“You will be the exact same people you have always been,” the Master Forger promised. “Would you like me to instantly transport you?”

“Yes,” Shad answered for them both. “I think that would be the best and fastest way to go.”

“Then hold perfectly still, the two of you. And may fortune favor you,” he added, looking at Shad.

“Thank you. For all of your help. For honoring the debt you owed my fathers,” Shad said, nodding.

“Thank you for offering me a challenge. These forgeries are the most complete I could make them—I pray for your sake they will fool She Who Alters.”

“I pray so too,” Shad said fervently. He was well aware of the risk they were taking. If Master Yll-no’s forgeries didn’t fool the Goddess, they would be dead and without enough power in the looper to start again. Still, what else could they do?

Trust, whispered a voice in his brain—the words of the Mother of All Life.

I am trying, he told her. Then he felt a strange sensation—a feeling of weightlessness though his feet remained on the ground.

Looking up, he saw that Master Yll-no had lifted his tiny doppelganger, tweezing his black leather vest delicately between thumb and finger, and was moving him slowly over to the model of the golden ship.

“Now when I set him down, you will instantly merge and be where he is—right outside the ship,” the Master forger said. “Ready yourself.”

“I am re—” Shad stared to say but before the words could finish leaving his mouth, there was a swirl of color, a moment of solid blackness, and then he found himself back on the landing platform at the space port, staring up at the immense golden side of a space yacht only the wealthiest could afford.

On the landing spoke beside it, as though in contrast, sat his own battered craft. It looked to Shad like a sad little stray dog next to a showy peacock. However, it did have one advantage over the beautiful yacht—it was real. The space yacht would dissolve into dust after a year and a day but Shad’s little ship would still be there.

But for now it was real enough. He lifted his hand and touched the golden side, which thrummed with power. The ship was as real as the clothing he now wore—black leather trousers and boots and a black leather vest to go with them. He was dressed as his tiny doppelganger had been.

Shad shook his head in wonder. What a pity the forger’s solid illusions couldn’t last forever! If there was anything lasting about them, he could have asked Master Yll-no to change Harper and unmake the part of her that was ten’sora. But eventually she would have reverted back to normal and then they would have been right back where they’d started. Besides, he wasn’t sure if the Master forger would have been willing to work such a drastic change on a living subject. It didn’t seem likely.

Speaking of that, where was Harper?

Shad looked around anxiously, wondering why it was taking so long for her to be transported. Just as he was really beginning to worry and curse himself for allowing the Master to send him first, she finally popped into existence right beside him.

“Oh,” she gasped, and looked around, apparently dazed. She was wearing a new outfit too but Shad couldn’t see it very well—it was obscured by the cloak of thorns which was hissing and spitting at the furry humlock, which she clutched to her chest.

“Are you all right?” Shad asked her, frowning sternly. “I was beginning to get worried.

“Sorry.” She gave him an uncertain look and once again he wondered if something was wrong with her. “I, uh, liked the humlock so much Master Yll-no gave it to me. But that meant he had to make a little one to give to the little Harper before he could transport me and well…that took some time. Plus, these two don’t like each other at all.” She nodded down at the angry cloak of thorns and the quivering, whimpering humlock which seemed to be struggling to get away from the threat of the menacing cloak.

“So I see,” he said dryly. Leave it to Harper to pick up two pets which hated each other. In every path they’d been on together, she was always too soft-hearted when it came to animals. “Here,” he added, reaching for the frightened humlock, “Let me help.”

“No!” Harper pulled away, keeping the furry creature tight to her chest. “I mean…he’ll be okay once we get settled in the ship.”

Shad frowned. “I’m sure he will but don’t you want to separate the two of them and get a little peace? I can carry it, er, him for you for a while—I don’t mind.”

“No.” She actually took two steps back from him, her eyes wide. “Thank you anyway but I…I want him near me.”

Shad narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. What was going on here? Why was she so intent on hanging onto the frightened humlock. Also…his nose wrinkled…she smelled different. There was a warm, sexual female musk emanating from her that he hadn’t smelled on her before.

Something was wrong. His sensitive Kindred nose told him so, as much as her strange behavior did. Harper was hiding something—but what?

“Empress Kyreella! The Empress has returned!” a voice suddenly called out.

A servant in black and silver livery came rushing up and then a gilded gangplank began to descend from the side of the huge ship.

“Your Majesty!” the servant exclaimed, falling to his knees at Harper’s feet. “Forgive me that I did not see you before! I was sent to watch for your return but I must have missed your appearance. Please, forgive your unworthy servant!”

“Um, that’s okay. I forgive you,” Harper mumbled. She looked taken aback at the slavish devotion shown by her new “servant.”

“Remember,” Shad murmured to her. “It’s not real—none of this is real, Harper. Don’t let it rattle you.”

“Okay, thanks.” She shot him a grateful look but the next moment a phalanx of servants—guards followed by lady’s maids—came rushing down the gangplank to throw themselves at her feet as well.

“Oh Empress, you look so tired. Do please come with us,” one of the maids begged. She was dressed, as all the others were, in black and silver.

“Yes, do come. We will draw you a warm and soothing bath to ease the weariness of travel,” another maid exclaimed.

“Well…sure, I guess.” Harper shot Shad a bemused look. “It might be fake but I guess we might as well enjoy it, right?”

“I suppose.” But there was still something about her that worried him, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. As the lady’s maids and guards escorted their “Empress” up the gangplank and into the vast golden space yacht, Shad vowed to himself to get Harper alone and find out exactly what it was.

Chapter Ten

“I could get used to this,” Harper murmured as she allowed the maids who were waiting on her to lead her into an ultra luxurious bedroom suite aboard her new golden space yacht.

The room had a vaulted ceiling with a crystal chandelier hanging from it—or maybe the crystals were diamonds, Harper thought. That was certainly possible considering how opulent this ship was.

Directly under the chandelier was a vast round bed spread with a luxurious crimson quilt which seemed to be made of some kind of velvet. The floor was exotic black hardwood which was warm to her feet when she slipped off her shoes and the walls were decorated in glittering mosaics which appeared to be made of real gems.

It was definitely the fanciest room Harper had ever been to in her whole life and even knowing it was fake didn’t diminish her pleasure. In fact it was almost gorgeous enough to make her forget about the growing problem with her breasts…

Almost.

Harper watched as the army of maids dithered here and there, turning down the bed, opening the closet to show her the many new dresses and outfits which had just arrived, pouring her a cup of hot tea and laying out a plate of biscuits, fluffing the pillows…until she felt she couldn’t stand it anymore. The pressure between her thighs was growing—the need for sexual release couldn’t be put off much longer. And this huge bedroom was certainly much more private than the bathroom at Master Yll-no’s house—or it would be if she could get rid of the maids.

“Excuse me,” she said and cleared her throat. “Excuse me, everyone.”

At once the maids stopped what they were doing and stared at her. They all looked very much alike, Harper thought uneasily, with dark brown hair and eyes and pinkish-tan skin tones. They weren’t exactly identical but they certainly all looked like they might be sisters—especially since they were all wearing the black and silver uniforms which seemed to be de rigueur aboard her new yacht.

Since having all of them staring at her so intently made her nervous, she went on quickly.

“Thank you for all your hard work,” she said, trying to smile. “But I’m very tired right now and I’d like to be alone.”

“Of course, Empress!” they all said at the exact same time and with the exact same inflection.

Harper shivered as the maids filed out, each one bowing to her deferentially as they left the room. It was creepy, really—like having an army of clones under her control. Which she supposed in a way, she did.

At last the heavy wooden door was shut behind the last of them and she had the huge, luxurious room all to herself. Under other circumstances, Harper might have thrown herself on the vast round bed and sprawled out in contentment or gone to look at the gorgeous new dresses in the closet. But right now she was much too anxious about her growing problem to properly enjoy the luxury that surrounded her.

Putting the mewling humlock in the center of the bed and draping the hissing cloak of thorns over the back of a scrolled, gold-leaf chair, she went into the immense bathroom which was part of her suite.

There was more luxury in here—the walls and floor were covered in deep indigo tiles shot through with veins of gold and silver, a glassed-in shower stall that looked big enough to host an entire harem of girls took up one whole wall—even the toilet appeared to be made of solid gold.

In the center of the room, a deep bathtub that looked more like a hot tub, sat on a raised marble dais. It was square and one of the maids had already thoughtfully filled it. Scented steam rose from the delicate pink bubbled surface and thick, fluffy white towels were stacked artfully on the broad ledge around the tub along with a green bottle and an impossibly tall and fragile looking champagne flute.

Wow… As worried as she was, Harper took a moment to dip her fingers in the warm water and sniff the bubbles—which smelled lightly floral and expensive. She loved bubble baths and despite the new clothes that Master Yll-no had somehow conjured onto her when he transported her to the ship, she still felt grimy and tired from her crazy journey through Juno today.

She wanted nothing more than to slip into the tub and take a sip of whatever was in the mysterious green bottle. But she had other business first.

She turned to the mirror—which was another one of those misty, five-way viewer things like she’d seen in Master Yll-no’s bathroom—and took off her new clothes which were straining against her chest.

What she saw horrified her—her breasts were bigger than ever and they were actually leaking now—the pale purple nectar making trails down the undersides of her swollen curves.

“Oh no!” Harper moaned aloud, looking at herself. “What am I going to do?”

Maybe she ought to call one of the maid-clones and ask her to bring a breast pump? But would the maid know what she meant? And would such a device even be aboard the fake yacht? It wasn’t exactly a standard luxury item that you’d expect to find at a high-end resort or hotel.

Just then, a knock sounded at her door, making Harper jump.

“Who is it?” she called in a quavering voice. “I’m, uh, kind of busy right now.”

“Harper—I need to talk to you.”

Her heart sank—it was Shad! She had to put him off—had to get rid of him!

She tried to make her voice stronger.

“Can it wait? I’m really kind of tired.”

“No, it can’t wait.” His deep voice was a fierce growl. “I want to know what’s wrong with you.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Harper tried to laugh but it came out as more of a strangled croak. “What do you mean? I’m fine. Just…fine.” Her voice died off on the last word as she caught another look at her leaking breasts in the mist-mirror.

“The hell you are,” Shad growled from the other side of the door. “There’s something going on with you—I can smell it.”

“You can what?” Harper tried to sound incredulous but then she remembered Shad telling her that he’d tracked her in the Thieves' Market by scent alone. So maybe the idea of him “smelling” something wrong with her wasn’t so far off the mark. “I’m fine,” she said again, but her voice sounded uncertain, even in her own ears. “Please Shad I just…need some alone time,” she pleaded.

“I’ll leave you alone once I’m certain you’re all right. If you’re not decent, get covered up, Harper. I’m coming in.”

The door handle began to turn and Harper realized in panic that she hadn’t bothered to lock it when she’d come into the bathroom. She couldn’t let the big Kindred see her like she was now—completely naked with engorged breasts that were dripping the strange pale purple nectar! She just couldn’t!

She ran to the bathtub and reached for one of the towels but they were white—the minute the purple nectar began to seep through it would be ridiculously obvious. It was too late to put her clothes back on and there was nothing else to cover up with…

Harper’s eye fell on the pink bubbles in the tub. Or was there?

Quick as lightning, she climbed the marble steps to the raised dais and stepped into the deep, square tub. The water was almost too hot and she hissed as she lowered herself quickly down into its scented depths.

She got in just in time. Just as she turned around with the pink bubbles up to her chin, Shad came in the door. He was wearing the black leather bodyguard outfit his doppelganger had had on, she noticed. The tight leather trousers clung to his muscular thighs and outlined his thick shaft and the black vest left most of his broad chest and shoulders bare.

God, he looks mouthwatering. Harper felt her pussy begin to tingle—rather than soothing the ache between her thighs and the tips of her nipples, the heated water seemed to make her cravings worse.

No, she told herself sternly. No, don’t even think it. Remember he doesn’t like you. And remember he can’t know what’s going on. Keep it hidden!

Trying to put on her best angry face, she glared at the big Kindred.

“How dare you come barging in here? I’m trying to take a bath!”

“No, you’re trying to hide something from me. And I want to know what it is.” He came forward and climbed the steps of the tub, his boot heels ringing against the richly tiled floor. “What is it, Harper? Tell me.”

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She shrank away from him although her body was calling her towards him, telling her to raise up from the waters and beg him to palm her full, naked breasts in those big hands of his. But she refused to give in to temptation. “I’m just fine,” she said again in a voice that trembled only a little.

“Harper, please…” He blew out a breath and raked a hand through his wild black hair. His opalescent eyes were suddenly softer…and worried. He came around to where she was and sat on the edge of the tub, looking down at her. “Please,” he repeated. “I need to take care of you and I can tell something’s wrong with you. Please just tell me what it is.”

“I…I can’t,” Harper said in a small voice. “I mean, I don’t want to. It’s… embarrassing.”

“You don’t have to feel embarrassed with me,” he murmured and his voice was softer than she’d ever heard it, except in the strange flashes she’d had of him back aboard his ship. “I’m here to protect you—to help you.”

Harper lifted her chin defiantly and everything she’d been thinking recently came right out of her mouth.

“Only because you need me in order to go back in time and save your people. You don’t give a damn about me otherwise—you don’t even like me.”

His eyes widened. “Is that what you think?”

“What else am I supposed to think?” Harper demanded. “You can barely stand to touch me—you keep me at an arm’s length as much as you can. You hardly talk to me. You…You…”

Suddenly she felt guilty as she remembered everything he’d done for her. But the point was, why had he done it? Was it all just a means to an end?

“I mean, I appreciate that you took the whipping for me from the Controller,” she went on quickly. “And you came to rescue me from that awful nursing tent too. But you also told me not to touch you and you seem so cold and distant all the time. I just don’t know what to think.”

“Think anything but that I don’t care for you. Harper, I’m devoted to you.” Shad’s deep voice was hoarse, his eyes blazing. He sank down so he was kneeling on the bottom step, putting his face on level with hers. “My whole life is devoted to you.”

“I know,” she said, somewhat taken aback. “Because of your mission to rescue me and change me so the Hive doesn’t want me anymore—or at least so they can’t use me—which will save your people.”

“No, you don’t understand.” Shad shook his head. “Gods, how can I explain…” He blew out a breath and looked down at his hands, clearly frustrated. “Harper,” he said. “It’s not just the mission. It’s you. The way I feel for you, so deeply…”

“You do?” Harper could scarcely believe it but her heart was pounding in her chest. “I mean, I never would have thought from the way you’ve been acting…”

“It’s true—I’ve been trying to keep you at arm’s length,” he admitted in a low voice. “But that’s because I’ve lost you so many times.” He looked up at her and his chiseled features were haggard. “Harper, do you know how many times I’ve failed you? How many times I’ve watched you die in my arms? And every time it’s like getting my heart ripped out.”

“I…” Her mouth seemed suddenly too dry to speak. “I never thought about that.”

“I care for you, Harper,” he admitted heavily. “I care too much. It hurts too much. That’s why I’ve been trying to keep my distance during this time around.”

“But we’re going to make it this time,” Harper said, trying to convince both him and herself. “We have to since this is our last chance. So you shouldn’t be afraid to, uh, get close.”

He shook his head. “I feel like it’s better to keep my distance—less distracting when I’m trying to keep you alive.”

“Shad…” she started to say and then her fingers brushed his cheek and she got another one of those strange flashes.

She saw the two of them in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms. They were naked and close, so close. Shad was cradling her body with his own as though he couldn’t bear to let her go and looking into her eyes.

“Harper,” he murmured. “Kallana…”

Then the momentary flash was over and Harper drew her hand back, dazed.

“Kallana,” she whispered.

“What?” Shad frowned. “Where did you hear that?”

“Just now.” She shook her head. “I…I know it sound strange but I keep getting these…flashes—I don’t know what else to call them. They seem almost like scenes from a different life.”

“What do you mean? What have you seen?” he asked, his voice low and intense.

“Well, the first one was of the lifeguard guy—the one that was a mind-slave for the Hive. When I touched him I got this flash of a giant insect face.” Harper shivered. “It was awful.”

“And the others?” he asked.

“The others? Well…” Harper bit her lip, feeling embarrassed. “The others are of you. Of you…being nice to me. Being sweet. Holding me…comforting me…touching me…” She broke off, feeling her cheeks get hot. She really shouldn’t say anymore.

“You’re experiencing Chromatic Bursts—seeing things that happened in other paths we took.” He sighed. “I was told this might happen near the end of the looper’s power.”

“They’re the reason I came with you in the first place—without fighting you, I mean,” Harper told him. “When you told me to undress back at the beach I had one of those flashes—uh, Chromatic Bursts—and it convinced me you weren’t a bad guy after all.”

“So that’s where you heard that word—Kallana?” Shad asked her.

She nodded. “Just now. I saw us…” Her cheeks got even hotter but she made herself go on. “I saw us in, uh, in bed together. We were…were holding each other and you called me that.” She looked at him. “What does it mean?”

“It’s a word in the native Kindred language.” His voice was hoarse and rough. “It means…my heart. My love.”

“Shad…” Harper cleared her throat. “Did we…in all those other, uh, time paths we took, did we ever, you know, make love?”

She’d been certain he was going to say yes—to confirm her suspicion that they’d had incredible sex and a love so deep it defied time itself. But he only shook his head.

“No,” he said softly. “No, I never let myself go that far. As a Shadow Twin I’m probably not able to bond a female to me like a normal Kindred could. But I couldn’t take the chance.”

Harper frowned. “What do you mean—bond a female to you?”

“When a Kindred—a normal Kindred—makes love to a female and fills her with his seed, the two of them form a mental and emotional bond that only death can break,” Shad explained. “The problem is, once the bond is formed, the death of his mate may drag him into the grave along with her. Some males survive the death of their mate…but many do not.” He looked at Harper directly. “I couldn’t take that chance with you. I knew if you died I would want to die too. And I can’t die—not until I finish this damn loop and see you safely to the end of it.”

Harper nodded. “I understand. So we never made love.”

“We did everything else, though” Shad murmured. “I know your sweet, soft body as I know my own, Harper.” Reaching out, he stroked his knuckles gently over her flushed cheek, making her tingle all over. “Which is why you don’t need to be embarrassed to tell me what’s going on with you now.”

They had come full circle. Harper bit her lip, knowing she couldn’t hide her problem from him anymore. Not now that she knew how he truly felt.

He doesn’t hate me or dislike me, she thought wonderingly. In fact, I think he loves me—he’s just trying to keep his distance because he’s been hurt so many times.

The knowledge gave her a warm glow inside…but she had other things going on inside as well. During the intense talk with the big Kindred, she’d almost been able to ignore the tingling and throbbing going on in her breasts and between her legs. Now the sensations of lust and desire came back full force—making her almost moan with need.

“Harper,” he murmured again and she knew he was waiting to hear what was wrong.

“All right,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I…while I was in that awful nursing tent they…they tricked me into uh, drinking that sex-milk stuff. Then when I found out what was in it…” She shivered. “I threw it up. I thought I threw up all of it and none was left in my system. But, well…”

“Well, what?” Shad asked softly.

“I…I…” Somehow it seemed to Harper it would be easier to show him rather than to tell him. Biting her lip, she rose from the tub, pushing the pink bubbles down off her body, leaving her swollen breasts bare. “I guess I didn’t,” she finished in a soft voice. “I mean, since I’m, uh, exhibiting the same symptoms the girls in the nursing tent were.”

Shad looked at her swollen globes and gave a low, hoarse curse.

“Gods, sweetheart—does it hurt?”

“Some,” Harper admitted. “Mostly they feel swollen and…and full.” She could hardly get the last words out, she felt so embarrassed. She kept remembering the sight of Bianetta on the circular couch, letting the alien male suck her nipples while he filled her pussy with his cock. She didn’t want to do that, she told herself sternly. She wasn’t going to ask Shad to treat her that way—to take her that way…

But God, her pussy and nipples were suddenly throbbing with need and her breasts were so full they ached. What was she going to do?

“You say they’re full?” Shad asked, breaking into her worried thoughts.

“Of…of the nectar that stupid sex-milk causes you to make.” Harper looked down at herself and blushed—the pale purple stuff was already leaking down the undersides of her breasts again, making them sticky and wet. “God, this is awful.”

“We’ll get you through it,” Shad murmured. “I swear we will.”

“How?” Harper demanded. She crossed her arms over her breasts to hide her shame. God, it was so embarrassing! “I mean, those girls at the nursing tent pumped their breasts when they got too…too full. Either that or let the male customers…” She couldn’t finish but to her surprise, Shad finished for her.

“Suck it out?” he murmured.

“Yes.” Harper didn’t know where to look. Now that she was up and out of the heated water, she found herself shivering but not just with cold—with need as well. Her body was screaming at her that it needed to be touched…caressed…stroked…sucked… But she had to resist, she told herself. She had to.

“Come out of the bath, sweetheart…Kallana.” Shad was standing in front of her, holding out one of the big, fluffy white towels. “Come out and let me help you.”

“Do you want to?” Harper asked directly. “I mean, I thought you were trying to keep your distance. Not that I’m assuming you’d want to, uh, suck the nectar out like those guys at the tent did with the other girls,” she added quickly, feeling her cheeks heat. “But maybe you could find me a pump, or—”

“Let’s get you dried off, first,” Shad said practically. “Then I’ll look up sex-milk on the Interweb and hopefully we can find a cure.”

“Oh, good—good idea.” Harper nodded, remembering that she’d had the same thought herself. But she’d been so distracted by the clone-maids and the huge ship she’d completely forgotten.

She stepped out of the bath and allowed Shad to wrap the towel around her shivering shoulders. He didn’t stop there, though—he took the other towel and knelt before her, rubbing her body gently to dry her all over.

Harper didn’t know why she let him. In actual hours, she hadn’t known him even one whole day although it seemed like much longer considering everything that had happened to her. But she kept remembering those flashes she’d gotten of him…and the way he had told her how he loved and knew her body. It felt right to let him dry her so gently, so tenderly…right to allow him access to even her most secret areas.

God, I really am going crazy with lust, she told herself as she spread her legs and allowed the big Kindred to blot her small, neatly trimmed mound of curls gently with the towel. There’s no way in hell I’d be doing this otherwise.

But for whatever reason, she allowed it and then she allowed Shad to lead her from the room and dress her in a jade green dressing gown that seemed to be made of the softest silk imaginable.

Harper tried to draw the front of the gown closed over her thrusting, swollen breasts but he shook his head.

“No, sweetheart—don’t give yourself pain. Just leave the gown open and relax on the bed while I look this up.”

Biting her lip, Harper did as he said.

She just hoped there was an easy antidote to the damn sex-milk and she could get it soon. She was going to go crazy otherwise.

* * * * *

Shad tapped the search terms as rapidly as he could into the portable golden tablet which had come with the ship, cursing himself as he did.

Why had he told Harper how much she meant to him? Why had he let her know he cared?

Because I couldn’t stand to let her think I hated her—that I’m only guarding her in order to change the past and save my people, he told himself.

Besides, just because he’d let his feelings out in the open didn’t mean he had to act on them. He could still keep his distance—still keep some space between them. Harper would understand.

In the meantime, he had to figure out how to help her with her sex-milk induced problem. Gods, her breasts were so full, so luscious and ripe and her nipples had turned a deep blackberry shade that made his shaft hard just to think about!

Stop it, he told himself sternly. It’s not like you’re going to suck the nectar out of her like those bastards were doing to the poor drugged girls in the nursing tent. You’re going to find an antidote for her and…

His thoughts trailed off as the entry for Juno sex-milk popped up on his tablet. Shad read quickly, his eyes skimming the entry in disbelief.

“Goddess damn it!” he swore, shaking his head in disbelief.

So much for keeping his distance. Harper was going to need his help in a very intimate way if she was going to get through this.

Chapter Eleven

“What? What is it?” Harper couldn’t help feeling worried at the frustrated tone she heard in the big Kindred’s voice.

“Here. See for yourself.” He passed the golden tablet to her and, after a moment of figuring out the holo controls which floated above the tablet, Harper read the article he’d found.

The sex-milk most commonly found on Juno, in use at the “nursing” tents in the Thieves' Market is an extremely strong aphrodisiac known to work only on females in whom it causes extreme sexual arousal. It produces side-effects of pseudo-lactation causing the breasts to fill with a pale purple “nectar” and swell to several times their normal size.

“All right, tell me something I don’t know,” Harper muttered, scrolling down as she skimmed the article rapidly. “How do you cure the symptoms, damn it?”

The stupid article went on and on about how aroused and sexually needy a female who ingested sex-milk would be and how eagerly she would welcome a male inside her.

A freaking date rape drug—that’s what it is!

Harper knew she ought to be enraged that she’d been given this horrible stuff—and she was. But the sex-milk was also still working on her, making her aroused even though she didn’t want to be.

Just reading about how a female would crave sexual contact and penetration after ingesting the stuff made her remember how big Shad was below the belt and imagine how good it would feel to have all that girth and length thrusting its way deep inside her. She had to force herself to push that mental image away and focus on the problem at hand.

Finally she came to the end of the article and her heart sank.

“There is no known antidote for those who are given the insidious sex-milk—typically it will take years to work its way out of the victim’s system. However, there is hope if the symptoms are caught in time. If the female who has ingested the sex-milk has a willing male partner, he must drink some of the nectar from her breasts. As males are not affected by sex-milk, the nectar will be broken down and changed in the male body. In short order, his own bodily fluids will become a kind of antidote. When rubbed into the vaginal area of the sex-milk victim in time, these may effect a complete cure. But there is a limited window of only four solar hours from the time of ingestion for this method to be effective.”

Harper looked up in s sudden panic. Four hours? That’s all the time you get?

How long had it been since she’d drunk the disgusting, fruity tasting sex-milk anyway? Was the four hour count supposed to be from the first cup she’d taken or the last? What was she going to do?

She looked at Shad, feeling panicked.

“We’ve only got four hours. How long has it been since the nursing tent?”

“Nearly that long, I believe.”

“Oh my God. Oh God!” Harper looked down at herself, at her huge breasts leaking the pale purple nipples. “I don’t want to be stuck like this forever!”

“You won’t be,” Shad said firmly. He looked at her directly. “I don’t want to offend your modesty, Harper, but we have precious little time. You’d better come here.”

“But you can’t…I mean, I don’t want you to…” She shook her head, unable to finish.

“Harper, sweetheart…” Shad gave her a level look, his pale eyes burning. “I know this feels strange and wrong to you but we don’t have much time. You need to let me help you.”

“By sucking this weird nectar stuff out of my breasts?” Harper looked at him incredulously. “How can you even want to do that?”

“I want to because it’s you—part of you,” he said gently. “I want to do anything I can to keep you from hurting, Harper.”

Harper wanted to hang back—to protest again that this was gross and he shouldn’t want to do it. But as Shad settled back on the bed, his broad shoulders against the curving headboard of the round bed, she realized she had no choice. Still, a large part of her was nervous.

“What about after you, uh, suck them—suck me, I mean?” she asked in a shaking voice. “And your body breaks down the nectar to make the, uh, antidote. What about the body fluids part? Which, um, fluids are you planning on using to cure me?”

“You’re thinking of the girls in the tent—of the way they let those males use them,” Shad growled.

Harper nodded, her cheeks hot. She could still see Bianetta thrusting herself on the strange male’s cock while he sucked her full breasts. She supposed they must keep their new girls in some kind of isolation until the four hour window had passed although Pie-lo had certainly been willing to sell her early. God, if Shad hadn’t come along just when he had…

“I won’t make love to you—won’t fill you with my seed.” There was iron in the big Kindred’s voice when he spoke which drew her out of her unhappy thoughts. Harper had a feeling he was telling himself as much as her. “But there are other things we can do to make certain the cure gets from me to you,” he continued.

“What other things?” Harper still hung back, uncertain. If he wasn’t going to make love to her, what was he planning to do?

Shad patted his lap. “You’ll see. Time is running out, Harper. Unless you want to be stuck like this for the rest of your life, you need to come let me help you now.”

When he put it like that, Harper knew she didn’t have a choice.

Biting her lip, she turned to face him.

“That’s right,” he murmured softly. “Straddle me, sweetheart. Makes it easier for me to reach your breasts.”

“All right.” Harper threw a leg over his lean hips and muscular thighs and then settled in his lap, facing him. She made certain, though, that she was supporting most of her weight on her knees. She didn’t want to rub up against him like a cat in heat—especially when she didn’t have any underwear on under the green robe.

Despite her precautions, she felt awkward and ashamed, sitting there with her huge breasts thrusting into his face but Shad didn’t seem to mind.

They’re so big now and they ache, she thought miserably. I look like a freak—look deformed! How can he want to do this?

“It’s all right, Harper,” Shad murmured, as though reading her thoughts. He stroked her hot cheek lightly. “You’re beautiful—always so beautiful to me. Don’t be afraid.”

“I…I’m not afraid,” Harper said. “I’m just…ashamed.”

“Don’t be,” he said firmly. “This isn’t your fault and we’re going to fix it right now.”

His words seemed to soothe Harper’s humiliation. It was just a bad situation that had to be gotten through, she told herself. She tried to ignore the throbbing in her pussy and made sure she wasn’t pressing against him as Shad began.

Lightly, he palmed her heavy globes, his thumbs making idle circles around her blackberry-dark nipples.

“Slowly at first,” he murmured to her. “Gently.”

Harper had to bite back a moan as he leaned forward and kissed the slope of one breast and then the other. Though she tried to keep herself clenched below the waist, she could feel her pussy opening—spread by her wide stance as she straddled him. She looked down at herself, making sure she was covered with the green robe. God, he was already driving her crazy and he hadn’t even sucked her nipples yet! And still Shad took things slowly.

“I…I thought you were going to suck them,” she blurted at last when he continued to lay soft, open-mouthed kisses all over her swollen breasts without actually touching her aching nipples. “You’re driving me crazy, Shad!”

“Forgive me. I wanted to get you warmed up first.” His deep voice came out low and hoarse.

“I’m plenty warm,” Harper assured him and it was nothing but the truth. She could feel her pussy juices beginning to slide down and dampen her outer thighs. It was embarrassing and arousing at the same time. “Please, Shad,” she whispered, not wanting to beg but not being able to help it. “Please, I need…need you to start.”

“Of course, sweetheart,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to tease you. Let me help you now.”

Looking into her eyes, he planted his hands firmly on her ass and drew her closer to him. Then, still holding her gaze, he swirled his tongue around Harper’s aching right bud and sucked it deep into his mouth.

“Oh…oh!” Harper moaned, clutching his broad shoulders as he began to draw the nectar from her. It felt so good—so right—like she could feel the hard suction of his mouth not only on her nipple but right between her thighs in her aching pussy.

Now she understood the willingness of the girls at the nursing tent to let complete strangers drain their breasts. The need to be emptied and the pleasure each suck brought was so strong it overcame almost any other hesitation she might have felt. Instead, she pressed herself forward eagerly, silently begging Shad to take her even deeper and suck harder.

After the first necessary swallow to allow his body to process her nectar into an antidote, Harper had expected him to take a break to spit out the pale purple nectar. Instead he swallowed again and then again, and continued to suck.

Oh God, how could he stand it, she wondered hazily. Did he actually like the taste?

You certainly liked the taste of the sex-milk—maybe it tastes the same, whispered a little voice in her brain. Harper shoved it away and tugged reluctantly on Shad’s thick black hair.

“Wait,” she made herself say. “You’ve probably had enough to, uh, make the antidote. Don’t…don’t you want to, uh, spit it out now?”

Shad released her nipple and shook his head.

“It’s delicious,” he murmured. “You’re delicious, sweetheart. All of you.”

“Sweetheart” was nice but Harper wished secretly that he would call her “Kallana” again. Then she decided that was a really bad idea if they ever wanted to go back to keeping their distance, as Shad had put it, after this was all over.

“I still don’t know how you’re going to cure me,” she whispered as he nuzzled her heavy breasts again. “I mean, how exactly—”

“Gently,” Shad murmured. Holding her eyes with his, he sucked her tight nipple deep into his mouth again. He sucked it deep and hard, drawing the nectar from her, and then swallowed deliberately.

“Oh my God,” Harper whispered unsteadily. She shifted, wishing her pussy didn’t feel quite so needy and swollen but there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about it. With each deep pull of her breast into his mouth, she got hotter and wetter.

Shad didn’t stop either. He continued to drink her nectar and soon it was beginning to feel like a mini-orgasm each time he sucked her nipple. But though her pleasure was building faster and faster, she still hadn’t reached that elusive peak.

Harper squirmed in his lap and found she couldn’t hold herself up above him anymore. With a low moan, she sank down and rested her open pussy against his leather-clad pelvis. The rigid lump under his tight black trousers let her know that the big Kindred was getting as turned on as she was.

A low groan vibrated her nipple and then he released her for a moment to speak.

“That’s right, sweetheart,” he growled hoarsely. “Let yourself down on me. Just relax and let me suck your sweet peaks.”

“All right,” Harper whispered. She tried not to wiggle in his lap but she could feel the hard ridge of his shaft parting her swollen pussy lips and rubbing against her tender clit. God, she was getting close…so close. But she still couldn’t quite get there…

At last the big Kindred seemed to be finished with the right breast, which was much less swollen than it had been. Harper expected him to start immediately on the left but instead, he did something surprising—he slipped his first and second fingers into his mouth, sucking them deep. Then he withdrew them and looked at Harper.

“All right, sweetheart,” he murmured, “Spread your legs for me and let me stroke your sweet little pussy.”

“What?” Harper wasn’t sure she’d heard him right. But then he started tugging at the jade green robe she’d been so careful to wrap in front of herself to hide her spread sex.

“You heard me.” He looked at her sternly. “It’s the only way I can help you, Harper.”

“The only way? I thought…I mean…”

“You thought I would put my shaft in you and come deep in your pussy to cure you?” Shad demanded softly. “I told you, we can’t risk that—can’t risk possibly forming a bond. So I need to spread the antidote my body has made to you with my fingers.” His pale eyes suddenly became heavy-lidded. “Of course, I could also spread the antidote with my tongue… by licking between your thighs…”

“No,” Harper said at once. No matter how turned on she was, this wasn’t an option. She was a liberated woman and she enjoyed sex but not that kind of sex. It just didn’t do anything for her, she told herself uneasily. It was a waste of time. “I don’t want—” she began anxiously but Shad shook his head to stop her.

“I know. You never do until I talk you into letting me just try it.”

“So you’ve…done that to me before?” Harper asked hesitantly. “On…during other paths, you mean?”

Shad nodded, his white eyes still blazing hot.

“I’ve tasted your pussy so many times, Harper. Gods, how I love your flavor!” He sighed. “But it always takes ages to get you to agree to let me and we don’t have time for talking right now—I need to spread the antidote over your sweet pussy while I suck the last of the nectar from your breasts.” He gave her a direct look. “Will you let me help you, sweetheart?”

“Yes, well…” Harper cleared her throat. “I…I guess so,” she whispered, feeling dizzy from a mixture of lust, need, and embarrassment.

“Don’t be ashamed to ask for what you need, Harper,” Shad murmured as she tugged open the jade green robe, baring her naked pussy with its little mound of curls. He looked down at her. “Gods, you’re gorgeous—so beautiful it makes me catch my breath.”

“Thank you,” Harper whispered. It wasn’t easy to be naked—or to see the shiny wet patch on the front of his leather trousers her wet pussy had made when she rubbed against him. But the clear admiration on his face and the warmth in his voice made her embarrassment easier to bear.

He slipped his fingers in his mouth again, sucking and licking to get them wet, and then reached between Harper’s legs.

This time she let him do it without protesting. A low moan left her lips as the blunt pads of his fingers glided into her wet folds.

“Oh…Oh,” Harper gasped helplessly as the long, talented fingers began to rub in the antidote…and circle her aching clit at the same time. She couldn’t help herself—her hips began to sway in time with his rhythm

“That’s right,” Shad growled hoarsely, watching her. “Ride my fingers, baby…ride them and let me help you come while I heal you.”

Then he ducked his head and took her other nipple into his mouth. He sucked deep, drinking her nectar and teasing her sensitive peak at the same time he stroked her pussy.

“Oh God,” Harper felt lost—so helpless and hot she couldn’t stop her body from reacting. She ground herself against his invading fingers, looking for more. She loved the deep, throbbing waves of pleasure that rolled over her with each deep suck the big Kindred took at her full breast.

He paused for a moment and slipped his fingers, now shiny with her juices, between his lips again.

“Gods…” His eyelids fluttered with pleasure as he lapped away her honey. “So sweet…so good, baby…love the way you taste…” he growled.

Then he withdrew his fingers and reached between her legs again, this time rubbing harder as he sucked her tender nipple.

A bolt of lust shot through Harper at this renewed assault of pleasure and suddenly her orgasm hit her. She was over the edge and coming…coming so hard she saw stars and for a minute she actually thought she might pass out.

“Oh!” She threw back her head, gripped the big Kindred’s broad shoulders as waves of pleasure rolled over her. She rubbed against him eagerly, just as he’d told her to do, wanting more…always more.

“Shad!” she heard herself moaning, calling his name as he made her come so hard she could hardly breathe. “Oh Shad…yes, please!”

He kept sucking her nipples but as he felt her quiver with orgasm, the two long, strong fingers which had been rubbing her, slid deep inside instead and began a long, hard fucking motion which Harper thought would drive her crazy all over again.

Penetration, she thought deliriously as the waves of pleasure continued to wash over her. The article said I would need penetration.

And God, it had been right! She hadn’t realized how empty she’d felt until Shad started pressing his thick fingers deep inside her—now she couldn’t get enough. Digging her nails into his broad shoulders, she rode him hard, wishing, though she knew she shouldn’t, that it was his cock stroking inside her instead.

Just the thought of that—the image of his thick shaft sliding into her…filling her… was almost enough to push Harper over the edge again. She squeezed her eyes shut and moaned her pleasure as she felt a second orgasm building inside her.

Then she heard Shad call her name.

“No, Harper,” he demanded hoarsely. “No, look at me. I need to see it in your eyes while you come, baby. Want to watch you coming hard all over my fingers.”

“All…all right…” Harper found herself caught and held in his strangely beautiful opalescent gaze as he continued to thrust inside her. As his thick fingers continued their long, slow, hard stroke, the pad of his thumb began to slide over her swollen clit.

And looking into his gorgeous, alien eyes, Harper found herself building to the peak one more time. Bending down, she captured the big Kindred’s mouth with her own and tasted her own secret juices on his lips.

For a moment Shad was frozen—then he kissed her back, so hungrily it took her breath away.

I thought he didn’t even like me, Harper thought wonderingly. But he loves me—needs me. A little voice in her head whispered, You need him too…And then she was coming again, letting go and flying as she rubbed against the big Kindred’s hand and kissed him for all she was worth.

* * * * *

Shad knew he shouldn’t let himself go like this—shouldn’t let himself get physically involved with her this time. But what could he do? The decision had been taken out of his hands. He had to help Harper—had to cure her of the detrimental effects of the sex-milk and this was the only way to do it.

Not true—you know it’s not true, an accusatory little voice in the back of his head insisted. You could have just rubbed some of your saliva into her pussy folds and ended it there. You didn’t have to taste her juices…didn’t have to make her come or kiss her back…

Or lose his heart to her all over again.

As she finished quaking around him, Shad withdrew his fingers abruptly and looked away, breaking the intimate eye contact he had demanded from her. Gods, what was wrong with him, insisting she look at him while he made her come? It made what had to follow so much harder now that he’d seen her heart in her lovely jade green eyes as he brought her pleasure.

Stupid, he told himself angrily. What’s wrong with you acting like that? Trying to make her care for you—love you? Why bother when you’re only going to lose her all over again one way or another after this is done.

His fingers were wet with her honey. He wanted badly to taste her juices again but he restrained himself. Though his cock ached behind the leather prison of his trousers, it was time to get back on track—to regain some of the distance he’d been trying to keep between them.

“Well…” He tried to make his voice sound businesslike and impersonal. “That ought to do it. You’re probably cured of the effects of the sex-milk now.”

“I…um…” He could see the hurt and uncertainty filling Harper’s flushed face and had to look away. “Do…do you think so?” she asked at last.

“Are your breasts filling with nectar again?” Shad asked briskly. He waited while she examined her breasts though it was difficult to restrain himself from brushing her hands aside and taking over the examination himself. He wanted to suck her sweet nipples again—which had returned to their normal light brown color, he saw. But he knew he had no reason to do so. Not if Harper really was cured—and he was fairly certain she was.

Sure enough, she looked up after a moment and shook her head.

“Nope. No more, uh, nectar.”

“Good.” Shad pushed her gently but firmly off his lap and stood, trying to ignore the hard-on which still throbbed behind his tight leather trousers. “Then I should go.”

“Go? What do you mean, go?” she burst out. “After all that you’re just leaving?”

Shad could hear the pain in her voice and it made his heart ache. He wanted nothing more than to gather her into his arms and hold her—to reassure her that he loved her and wanted her…to tell her she was beautiful and perfect in every way.

But that would only make things hurt worse, in the end. Better to keep his distance—it helped him keep a clear head when it came to protecting her. He told himself it was to both their benefits to stay apart, at least romantically.

“I have things I have to do,” he told Harper, using his coolest, most professional tone. “I have to see that my ship—the real ship—is stored in the cargo hold of your new space yacht before we take off. Eventually I may need it.”

“But I thought…” Harper shook her head, still looking confused and deflated. “I thought after what you said…what you did…”

“I only did what was necessary to help you get over the effects of the sex-milk,” Shad said shortly. “I’m sorry if you interpreted it to mean…more than it was.”

Then he left because he knew if he stayed the truth would come out and he wouldn’t be able to hide how he felt for her. As much as he tried not to, how he still loved her.

Chapter Twelve

After he left, Harper cried.

She didn’t want to do it—she hated crying. It made her feel girly and weak and out of control—just the worst. But the intense physical connection she’d shared with Shad—or thought she’d shared anyway—had leaked away leaving only a horrible feeling of rejection in its place.

Did I do something to turn him off? Something to disgust him or make him angry? she asked herself as she huddled on the bed in a ball of misery. Why would he act like he cared—like he loved me—one minute and then be so cold and businesslike the next?

She had no answers and after a while, it became clear she wasn’t going to find any lying on the bed crying.

“Stop it, Harper,” she said out loud, forcing herself to sit up on the big round bed. “Stop it and pull yourself together. This isn’t on you—Shad is the one being a jerk.”

Hearing the words aloud made her feel better even if she wasn’t completely convinced they were true. She told herself it was just difficult to go from being so intensely intimate with a man back to being acquaintances all in the space of a few heartbeats.

Anyway, that’s all you are—acquaintances, she tried to tell herself. You haven’t even known him a whole day yet.

So then why did it feel like she’d known the big Kindred forever? And why did she have the feeling that she’d let him into her heart a long time ago and there was no getting him out again?

Ignoring these maudlin feelings, Harper forced herself to get off the bed and go back into the huge marble bathroom. She checked herself in the 5-way mist mirror and was relieved to see that her breasts were back to their normal size and not even a drop of nectar came from her nipples when she squeezed.

Shad was right—I really am cured. She felt a rush of relief and gratitude towards the big Kindred…closely followed by a stab of anger and hurt. How dare he…

Her thoughts derailed abruptly. How dare he what? Cure her and then leave her? Save her from a horrible fate and then get on with his life?

Well if he can get on with his life, I can damn well get on with mine, too, Harper told herself firmly. No more mooning over a man who I can’t have—who clearly doesn’t want me. It’s time to get serious about getting myself changed so I’m no longer a ten’sora and getting back home to my real life on Earth.

“Besides,” she told her reflection out loud. “You’re an Empress now—remember? So act like it!”

Taking her own advice, she decided the first thing to do was to take a shower in the massive shower stall—which took up one whole side of the room—and wash the rest of the nectar and the just-had-sex sweat off her skin. At least, she assumed it was a shower stall—she saw silver nozzles inset on the ceiling and walls and even the floor but no obvious controls to start the flow of water.

“Well, they have to be in here somewhere,” Harper muttered to herself, dropping her robe as she stepped in. “I’ll just—oh!”

Her words ended in a gasp because the moment she stepped all the way into the long rectangular stall, warm water sprayed her from all sides and also rained down from above, drenching her immediately. Harper gasped—it was like being caught in a perfectly temperature-controlled rainstorm. It felt nice but it was also pretty shocking since she hadn’t been expecting it.

She had been planning to try and keep her hair dry but there was no way now—it was as wet as the rest of her. Well crap—what was she going to do? Her mixed-girl curly hair wasn’t just wash and go like some of her white friends—it required very specific care and products to keep it from frizzing or breaking.

Wiping water out of her eyes, Harper was startled to see a shelf protruding from the shower wall which she hadn’t noticed earlier. On it, were a familiar array of bottles and tubes—all her favorite hair care products from Earth were here!

“Wow!” she muttered, picking up a tube of Miss Jessie’s Multicultural Curls. “I can’t believe they have this here.” The Master forger must have gotten some of the things she liked and needed out of her own head when he crafted the space yacht for her, she reasoned as she squeezed some product into the palm of her hand and began to rub it into her hair. It was the only explanation for the hair products, the deluxe bathing and sleeping facilities, and the wardrobe filled with clothes.

I can have anything I want here—everything I’ve ever daydreamed about is right here aboard this ship and it’s all mine, Harper realized.

So why did she still feel so unhappy?

“Because you’re being stupid,” she told herself out loud, rubbing her scalp vigorously. “Which is what you need to stop right now.”

Still, it was hard to get over what had just happened between herself and the big Kindred. What was all that mess with him telling her his whole life was devoted to her and making her look into his eyes while he made her come?

He messed with my head, Harper thought as she rinsed her hair and reached for another bottle. Messed with my head and messed with my heart. Well, if I get a chance I’m going to mess with him right back.

Feeling angry was easier and safer than feeling hurt and used and unloved—she decided to stick with that emotion and run with it. She held her head high as she finally finished in the shower and stepped out onto the soft white furry rug which seemed to suck all the moisture away from her body in a downward drawing motion. She hardly needed the big, fluffy towels which were piled in an elegant stack on a small golden pedestal located to the right of the shower door.

She took one anyway because she liked the feel of the soft fabric against her skin and patted herself dry. It was time to check out her closet and see what an Empress wore—time to forget about Shad and focus on the matter at hand.

Getting done with all this mess so she could get home and forget him.

* * * * *

“Come in,” Harper called when she heard a knock on the door of her vast, opulent bedroom. She’d been looking at the dresses in the wardrobe and trying some of them on. All of them fit her to a T although most were a good deal more revealing than she would have liked. Still, she looked amazingly hot in them which was nice—after what had happened with Shad, she needed a shot of self- confidence.

It had been almost a week since the big Kindred had helped cure her of the sex-milk symptoms and Harper estimated he hadn’t said ten words to her since, not even at meals, which was pretty much the only time she saw him.

Shad’s excuse for this was that she had to learn to act like an Empress and since he was supposed to be only her bodyguard, he naturally wouldn’t be chit-chatting with her at the dinner table. No, his job was to stand behind her chair and look imposing while he watched for possible threats. Harper’s job was to eat daintily and looked perfect and posh and royal.

They both practiced their roles at every meal which was how Harper found herself sitting alone at a long perfectly polished dark wood table eating from golden plates and drinking from golden cups and not tasting a thing because she could feel Shad standing behind her chair while they didn’t exchange a word.

It was miserable but it was also the only time she got to see the big Kindred. Harper spent the rest of the time in her room, reading or watching vids on the Interweb. What else could she do?

Whoever it was knocked on the door again and Harper frowned. Sometimes the clone-maids who waited on her were a little too deferential and hesitant.

“I said you can come in,” she called.

A male servant in black and silver livery opened the door and bowed low before her.

“My Empress, we are approaching Pelegiez-R where She Who Alters holds court,” he said, speaking deferentially to her feet, since it was apparently rude to raise his eyes higher than her ankles.

Harper felt her stomach flutter. She thought this past week in space where she and Shad were hardly speaking had been the longest of her life—but now it felt like the shortest. Was she really going to try and fool a Goddess into changing her so that the Hive could no longer use her as a pawn in this game of time travel and genocide?

Apparently she was.

“Well then…” She cleared her throat and tried to sound like an Empress. “Bring us in for a landing. And inform whoever is in charge that I—I mean we— seek an audience with She Who Alters at her earliest possible convenience.”

There—that sounded sufficiently royal, didn’t it? She’d even used the royal “we”.

“Of course, my Empress.” The servant bowed low and backed away, closing the door behind him. Harper watched him go with a flutter of apprehension around her heart.

God, what had she gotten herself into?

* * * * *

What had he gotten them into? Shad frowned at the face on the viewscreen mounted at the head of the bridge on the royal space yacht.

An older female with thin, spidery eyebrows and a disapproving expression on her face glared at Harper from the screen. She styled herself “the social secretary to She Who Alters” and apparently any and all who wished to see the Goddess had to go through her. If Harper didn’t impress her, finishing this mission successfully would be damn near impossible. Was she up to it?

Shad hoped so but he wasn’t sure. They’d been practicing their roles of Empress and bodyguard at every meal and he’d watched as she ordered the servants around as a true ruler would but could she fool someone who was used to dealing with the royalty of the galaxy?

Admit it, whispered a voice in his head. All this “practicing” you’ve been making Harper do has just been an excuse not to speak to her—not to get too close.

It was true—the artificial barrier he’d put between them—that of a bodyguard to his Mistress—made it easier not to have informal conversations with Harper—easier not to take her in his arms and make love to her as he so desperately longed to do.

But he’d already let himself get too close when he was curing her of the effects of the sex-milk, Shad told himself. He had to regain the distance he’d lost and the pose of an aloof and stand-offish bodyguard worked in that regard.

Of course, he’d seen the hurt in Harper’s eyes and the anger too. He didn’t blame her if she hated him now. He’d made what could have been a quick healing into an act of almost unbearable intimacy. His heart ached to make things right with her but he knew he couldn’t. Better to just pretend he was the bodyguard he was playing—and guard her body even if he’d broken her heart.

“Well now,” the social secretary said, glaring down the bony bridge of her nose at Harper and breaking his guilty train of thought. “I don’t usually grant immediate audiences with She Who Alters to anyone but I’m told you are an Empress?”

Harper, who was wearing her rainbow colored cloak of thorns, lifted her chin and looked coolly at the older female, who reminded Shad more and more of a praying mantis.

“We are the Empress Kyreella of Gobesh Prime of the Chavesh-Hie System,” she said clearly and disdainfully. “As we trust you were informed by our ship’s communications officer? If not then he must be disciplined.” She glared at the male in question, who wore the black and silver livery Master Yll-no had provided for all the servants.

The communications officer, in turn, groveled humbly—and convincingly, Shad thought.

“I have so informed the social secretary to the Goddess, my Empress,” he said quickly. “As I have told her that you must have an audience with She Who Alters at the earliest possible convenience.”

“Yes, yes—so I understand,” the social secretary snapped. “You know, Empress, we have some supplicants who have waited years to stand in the glory of She Who Alters.”

“We are afraid we do not have years, Madam Secretary,” Harper responded loftily. “Our business is most urgent and quite pressing.”

Shad couldn’t help casting a covert glance of admiration at her. She was pulling this off beautifully—acting the part of a rich and entitled ruler with flair. Then again, hadn’t she told him she’d had dramatics classes in high school? Maybe that was what accounted for her excellent role playing.

“Yes, well…the amount I was offered to move you to the front of the waiting list was quite impressive,” the social secretary admitted grudgingly. “Though of course, without your royal status, no amount would be sufficient.”

So Master Yll-no had been right in crafting a royal persona for Harper, Shad thought. Without the royal subterfuge, they would have had no chance of seeing the Goddess. He just hoped it, along with the bribe they had offered, would be enough.

“We trust you can understand our need to seek the wisdom of She Who Alters,” Harper remarked. “Our most urgent need.”

“Yes, yes—of course.” The praying mantis-social secretary nodded, as though making a final decision. “I will book you into her next available slot. But first, of course, you must be cleansed.”

“Cleansed?” Harper raised one eyebrow, her green eyes flashing imperiously. “Are you insinuating that we are not clean?”

“By no means, your highness!” The social secretary looked shocked. “But everyone who has an audience with the Goddess must enter the Cleansing Waters and be bathed in purity and light. Now then, I will assign you a personal bathing attendant to see to all your needs while you visit our Cleansing Baths—”

“I am her personal attendant,” Shad growled, stepping forward to glare at the viewscreen. “The Empress goes nowhere without me to guard her every step.”

Harper gave him a sour look—almost as though she was thinking of disputing his claim. But then, reluctantly, she nodded.

“This is true.”

“And does this male see to all your physical needs, your highness?” the social secretary asked, speaking to Harper rather than Shad. “Or should I assign a sexual attendant to work in conjunction with him?”

For the first time, Harper’s royal façade faltered.

“Um…a sexual attendant?” she asked uncertainly. “Why would I—I mean we—need something like that?”

“You cannot go before She Who Alters with any unfulfilled bodily desires,” the social secretary exclaimed. “The Goddess senses what it is about you that you is lacking—what you need to have changed or altered—and makes the change in question. It is unwise to go before her when you are hungry in any way—emotionally, physically, sexually, or in any other capacity.”

“I see.” Harper nodded thoughtfully. “So this attendant…he would be certain that all our royal needs were fulfilled?”

“Indeed.” The secretary nodded. “Shall I assign one to you? Would you prefer a smaller male of the higher order or a larger male of the lower order? I believe we have a few even bigger than your bodyguard there, though the larger they grow, the less intelligent they are, mores the pity.” She made a face as she regarded Shad. “Still, all our sexual attendants have been well trained and it’s not as if you choose a male for his intellect, is it?” She raised one spidery eyebrow and laughed delicately.

Shad could see where this was going. If he didn’t intervene, this insectile secretary would assign some strange male to pleasure Harper. The very thought made a growl rise in his throat and every muscle in his body tight.

Mine—she’s mine and no one else is going to lay a fucking hand on her!

It was an irrational feeling and Shad knew it. He ought to be doing everything he could to put distance between himself and Harper—ought to keep his hands strictly to himself. But he couldn’t stop the visceral response to the idea of seeing another male put his hands on her.

He became aware that he was wanting her—wanting to claim her, to mark her as he had avoided doing for so long. No matter how many times they went through the time loop, no matter how many paths they took, he never allowed himself to make love to her completely—never allowed himself to sink his shaft deep into her tight pussy and fill her with his seed.

It was all he wanted to do now, as he watched her sitting on the golden throne which was set in the middle of the bridge. She was wearing a dress of scarlet that made her creamy brown skin glow and he could see the swells of her breasts rising from the bodice. He remembered sucking her tight nipples, drinking the sweet nectar she had made while he finger-fucked her hot little pussy and she moaned and writhed in his lap. Gods, how he wanted her…

“I am also my lady’s sexual attendant,” he growled, glowering at the Goddess’s secretary. “I and no other may touch her body in an intimate situation. No other may lay hands on her.”

Harper and the secretary both looked at him in apparent surprise.

“Empress, is this true?” the secretary asked.

For a moment Harper hesitated and Shad was afraid she would deny his claim and let some other male service her instead. Damn it, if she did that…his hands balled into fists and another growl rose in his throat.

But at last, she nodded regally.

“It is true. There have been several attempts on our royal life and so, only one who is loyal unto death, as is my bodyguard Shadow here, can attend us and lay hands on our royal person.”

“Very well.” There was a sour look on the social secretary’s face, as though she didn’t quite approve of this but couldn’t think of any way to refute it. “Then the two of you must come down to the entrance of our Cleansing Baths that you may take the waters and be cleansed of your desires and needs before you stand in the light of She Who Alters.”

“We will be there at once,” Harper said, nodding. “Give the landing coordinates to the navigation officer, if you please, Madam Secretary.”

“Of course.” The secretary bowed her head with the exact amount of deference required—no more, no less. “We look forward to hosting your esteemed personage, Empress,” she said.

Then the screen flickered to black and the call was over.

* * * * *

“Well…” Harper drew a deep breath as the image faded from the viewscreen and looked at Shad. “That was certainly interesting.”

“You played your part well…my Empress.” His deep voice held a tone of grudging respect.

“You didn’t think I could pull it off? Didn’t I tell you I was in drama in high school?” Harper said.

“Yes, I remember.” He cleared his throat. “Well, I’d better get the landing craft ready.”

“Oh, no—wait a minute.” Harper wasn’t nearly ready to let him go yet.

“What is it?” Shad asked gruffly. “We’re expected at those damn Cleansing Baths immediately—we need to hurry.”

“If you won’t talk about the elephant in the room, I sure as hell will,” Harper snapped. “What was all that about you being my, uh, sexual attendant?” She could feel her cheeks heating as their eyes clashed but she refused to back down. “Why did you insist on that? Are you jealous or something?”

“Of course not.” The big Kindred raised an eyebrow at her. “I simply thought you’d rather have me touching you than a stranger. Was I wrong?”

“And I thought you never wanted to touch me again after…after what happened with the uh, sex-milk.” Harper could feel her cheeks getting hotter but she wouldn’t drop her eyes. “At least, that’s the impression you’ve been giving me this past week. Was I wrong?”

“You think I don’t want you—don’t want to touch you?”

Shad bridged the gap between them and suddenly he was towering over her as she sat in the elaborate golden throne which was placed in the middle of the control center.

Harper looked up at him, refusing to be intimidated.

“What am I supposed to think after the way you acted? After the way you dropped me and ran back inside that shell of ice you have around you once we were done…doing what we did?” she demanded.

“I told you once before to think anything but that I don’t care for you,” he said hoarsely. “Do you know how hard it was to stop last time I touched you? How close I was to taking you completely?”

“But you don’t want that,” Harper shot back. “You’re afraid we’ll form a bond—isn’t that what you said?”

“I can’t risk bonding with you, Harper—but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to—that I don’t want you.” He leaned closer, putting his hands on the arms of her golden throne, his white eyes luminous and blazing with a shifting opalescence that seemed to pierce right through her.

Harper’s cloak of thorns hissed angrily but the big Kindred ignored it.

“I want you Harper,” he growled, his voice soft but intense. “I want you so badly I fucking ache.” He took her hand in his and pressed it between his thighs.

Harper gasped as she felt the hot, hard ridge of his cock filling her palm, barely contained by the smooth black leather stretched tightly over it.

“Shad!” she protested but didn’t try to yank her hand away as she knew she ought to. This was the closest she’d been to him in over a week and she couldn’t help herself—she didn’t want it to end.

I really care for him, she thought dismally. As much as I try not to, I can’t get the big bastard out of my head.

Or out of her heart.

His warm, masculine scent surrounded her and she could feel her heart pounding in the cage of her ribs. She was aware that they weren’t alone—that the clone servants that had come with the space yacht were all looking discretely away but she didn’t care—couldn’t care about anything but the big Kindred who was glaring down at her with his hardness still cupped in her palm.

“I’m like this because of you,” he growled, still pressing her hand to his crotch. “Because I can’t stop thinking about you—can’t stop wanting you, Harper.”

Harper just stared at him, not sure of what to say.

Shad let go of her hand and drew back at last.

“But I can’t have you—we can’t have each other. Because nothing between us can last—it can only lead to heartache.”

“Then why did you demand to be my sexual attendant?” she asked. “Why if you’re so afraid of making any kind of commitment?”

He glared at her. “Because I can’t fucking stand the idea of another male’s hands on you, all right? You’re mine, Harper. Mine.”

His proprietary words and the look of possessive lust he was giving her shook Harper to her core. Despite his earlier words that his life was devoted to her, she’d begun to believe that she had somehow offended him or turned him off and that was why he’d grown so cool towards her. Now she realized all over again that the big Kindred really did want her—but he was refusing to act on their mutual desire.

Well, he’s going to damn well have to act on it if he’s going to be my sexual attendant and my bodyguard down there on Goddess planet, she thought grimly.

Aloud she said, “If that’s the way you feel, then maybe you could try acting like it instead of freezing me out all the time. And I belong to myself, Shad. Don’t forget that.”

Her only answer was another possessive growl—which caused her cloak of thorns to hiss—and then he straightened up abruptly.

“We have to get down to the surface soon,” he snapped. “Be certain you’re wearing your most royal-looking outfit—you have to look authentic.” Then he turned on his boot heel and left.

Harper watched him go with a conflicting stew of emotions brewing inside. She felt strangely gratified to know that he wanted her after all and he was just holding himself back—and then angry at herself for being glad the big Kindred was attracted to her.

There was also a growing desire for revenge. He’d hurt her badly when it seemed like he wanted nothing to do with her for the past week after their intensely intimate encounter. And now he wouldn’t be able to help touching her and being close to her.

Maybe it was time to get a little of her own back, Harper thought.

With that in mind, she went to change.

Chapter Thirteen

Shad tried to hold back a growl of lust as he stood at Harper’s side and waited for the attendant to check them into the Cleansing Baths. When he’d told her to wear her most royal looking outfit, he hadn’t meant anything like this.

She was draped in her multicolored royal cloak of thorns, of course, which befitted royalty. But underneath it she was wearing a long green gown that seemed to be made entirely of fringes. At least, if the way her tight nipples and the V of her soft sex he could see flashing when she walked was any indication.

It made him nearly crazy to think that other people would see her like this—lush…beautiful…exposed, but Harper didn’t seem to be bothered at all. Indeed, she carried herself like a queen with her head held high and her shoulders thrown back as though wearing such revealing clothing was her right. She had rolled her thick, curly hair into a golden-brown twist at the back of her head which showed the slender column of her throat and made her look even more elegant and unobtainable.

The arrogant toss of her head and her confident posture only made Shad want her more. Made him want to take her here and now in front of the huge double doors leading into the Cleansing Baths and never mind what anyone who came to serve them might think…

No! What are you thinking? Get hold of yourself!

Shad shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the lustful thoughts. He remembered how he’d taken Harper’s hand and pressed it to his aching cock…how he longed to fill her with his shaft and his seed and claim her completely…

This isn’t me. I’ve never acted like this on any of the paths we took together on the loop, he told himself. He’d never allowed himself to make love to Harper—had scarcely dared to allow himself to fantasize about it. As a Shadow Twin he was almost certainly unable to form a bond with a female. But there was always that tiny chance in a thousand that they could bond—and that was what kept him from claiming her.

Forming a bond with her would be a disaster—it would tear the two of them apart if they managed to reach the end of the loop and were permanently separated. It was a foolish risk Shad was not prepared to take. Yet now here he was, almost ready to throw her down on the ground and take her in public! What was wrong with him?

Shad frowned. Was it something to do with the looper nearing the end of its power? Was he experiencing some kind of personality distortion the same way Harper had been getting those Chromatic Bursts which showed her bits of other paths they had traveled together? Or was it just that he’d denied his feelings of longing and repressed his desire for her for so long that he was finally losing his self-control?

Shad had no answer—he only knew he had to get hold of himself and quickly. They both needed to be on their guard now that they were about to see She Who Alters. They were close—closer than he’d ever been—to achieving their goal and reaching the end of the loop.

But when you reach the end, you’ll never see Harper again, whispered a little voice in the back of his head.

Shad pushed it away. The point was, he couldn’t let his lust get in the way of finishing this mission. He would do well to remember that and keep himself under tight control no matter what happened with Harper in the Cleansing Baths.

* * * * *

The big Kindred was strung as tight as a wire as he stood beside her before the grand double doors which led to the baths. He didn’t say anything but Harper could feel him looking at her—more like devouring her with his eyes, actually—and every muscle in his massive body seemed tense.

She wondered uneasily if she should have worn a different outfit. She’d wanted to draw his attention—even to taunt him a little—but this wordless scrutiny was making her nervous.

However, she refused to show it. She kept her chin high and tried not to notice that her nipples were poking out from between the long, emerald green fringes of her dress. God, what had possessed her to wear this thing anyway? It was one thing to dress seductively but something else entirely to flash everyone you saw. In fact—

“Oh my! Forgive me for making you wait, my Empress! I didn’t realize you and your attendant were already here.”

The voice belonged to a girl with large yellow, unblinking eyes and short, fluffy black hair. She had come out from the high double doors at the front of the Baths. To Harper she looked a little like a surprised owl.

“That’s all right,” Harper couldn’t hide her relief that it was another woman, rather than a man, seeing her in the skimpy dress she’d picked out. “Let’s just get started, shall we?” she suggested.

“Oh, of course!” The Bath attendant opened one of the vast double doors and bowed Harper and Shad into the interior of the Cleansing Baths. “Please enter.”

It’s like the inside of a cave, Harper thought, looking up at the high, vaulted stone ceiling lit dimly by golden globes which seemed to hover in midair. There were no windows, just a vast echoing space decorated by…well, what were those things?

They seemed to be statues made of some greenish-blue marbled stone but they were moving—albeit very, very slowly. But statues didn’t move—at least none Harper had ever seen. Were they alive? They seemed to be performing the same motions over and over again. She looked at them wide-eyed as they followed the owlish bath attendant down the wide hallway to a narrow silver reception desk.

There was one statue of a man and a woman kissing. Slowly their faces came together and just as slowly they parted and then they kissed again.

Weird, Harper thought. Like a live action gif.

The statue across from them was stranger—it appeared to be a person who was half man and half some kind of sea creature with many long tentacles. The tentacles waved languidly in the air and the man’s mouth opened and closed, opened and closed as though he was shouting something over the waves of an invisible ocean. Entangled in his tentacles was a woman and he appeared to be penetrating her with several of them.

Ugh! Harper shuttered and looked away. She didn’t need to see that.

But there were other moving statues too—some extremely erotic. Harper watched from the corner of her eye as a statue woman on her knees took the shaft of the male statue standing over her deep into her mouth and then released it only to suck it again the next moment.

Further down, a female statue lay arching her back on a stone bench while a male statue knelt before her, his face buried between her legs. He appeared to be lapping her stone pussy with his stone tongue as she arched and writhed in slow motion, a look of ecstasy fixed forever on her statue face.

“Oh, do you enjoy our tableaus?” The Bath attendant had clearly seen her watching the strange moving statues.

“Um, your art is very…interesting,” Harper said. “What exactly does it represent?” Then she felt stupid for asking. They’re having sex, Harper—what do you think it represents?

But the owlish bathing attendant seemed to take her question seriously.

“They’re meant to show the gratifying of physical desires before presentation to the Goddess. It doesn’t do to appear before her with unsatisfied appetites. Speaking of which, we must be certain you are replete in every way before you see her, my Empress. Let us start with your physical appetite.”

They had reached the elegantly curved silver counter at the end of the large, echoing room now. The bathing attendant went behind it and brought out a flat, intricately carved dark wooden box inlaid with silver and mother of pearl. The shifting colors reminded Harper of Shad’s strangely beautiful eyes.

“Here, my Empress,” the attendant said, opening the box and displaying what appeared to be a lot of coin-sized, flat disks in many different colors. Like the mother of pearl design on the box, their colorful round surfaces shimmered with rainbows.

“Ooo—what are they?” Harper asked, forgetting she was supposed to be rich and haughty and impressed by nothing. “They’re gorgeous.”

“Flavor disks, my Empress,” the bathing attendant said smoothly. “They will satisfy any physical hunger you may have so that you may go before She Who Alters without unnecessary need.”

“My Lady tastes nothing that I do not taste first,” Shad said, stepping forward with a frown. “I must be certain she is not hurt or poisoned.”

“Oh…” The owlish attendant blinked for the first time since she’d met them, apparently in surprise. “All right. We usually reserve them only for the supplicants who come to seek the Goddess but I was told by the social secretary to She Who Alters that you are to be accommodated in every way. So please, be my guest.”

She held out the box to Shad who looked at it carefully before selecting a dark blue, shimmering pearlescent disk.

“Just place it on your tongue and allow it to melt,” the attendant instructed. “When the full range of flavors is complete, you should feel satiety of your physical hunger.”

Shad placed the flat blue disk on his tongue and closed his mouth, frowning.

Harper watched him eagerly and saw his eyebrows rise and his eyes widen in surprise but he didn’t say a word, which was extremely aggravating. Why did he have to be so close-moutheded about something which was obviously an interesting new experience?

“Well?” Harper asked impatiently. “What does it taste like?”

The attendant answered for him.

“It is all tastes and no taste, Empress,” she said helpfully. She looked at Shad. “Are you satisfied now that our flavor disks are pure?”

The big Kindred nodded and looked at Harper.

“It’s all right—you can take one.”

“But what are they like?” Harper demanded. “What do they taste like?”

“I can’t really describe it and even if I could, I’m pretty sure what I tasted will be different from what you’re going to taste,” he replied enigmatically.

“In this he is correct, Empress,” the attendant said formally. She motioned with the box again. “Would you like to select one now?”

“I’ll take…this one.” Harper took a shiny pink disk, mostly because she thought it looked sweet, like candy, and placed it on her tongue. Then she closed her eyes and waited for the flavors to begin.

At first there was nothing—not even the flavor of her own mouth. It was as though she’d forgotten how to taste which was strange and disturbing. Harper liked tasting things—it was one reason she was plus-sized instead of being a skinny-minny.

But then something began to happen. The smooth disk on her tongue began to grow bumpy. Then it took on a fleshy texture and the taste of rare roast beef filled her mouth. Not just any roast beef though—the kind she’d eaten as a child when her family went out to dinner at the Piccadilly Diner on Sundays after church. It was rich and meaty and salty and perfectly seasoned—wonderful.

“Mmm!” she exclaimed. “This is good.”

But she had barely finished speaking when the disk on her tongue changed textures—becoming spiky—and then the flavor changed too. Suddenly her mouth was flooded with the taste of hot sauce—the kind she liked best in the world that they put on the wings at Not Your Mama’s Wing Shop in Ybor City.

“Oh!” Harper exclaimed but then the texture changed again—becoming smooth and somehow creamy in her mouth and she tasted her grandmother’s homemade banana pudding.

Sudden tears pricked her eyes—she hadn’t tasted this in years, not since her Grams had died of breast cancer when Harper was fifteen. She’d tried to make it herself several times but somehow it just never came out right. The flavor and texture of the disk, however, were perfect.

The disk changed again, becoming brittle and crispy, so she felt like she could break it with just a little pressure if she bit into it and Harper tasted her favorite salt and vinegar potato chips…then it was soft and succulent and her mother’s blueberry pancakes with blueberry jam filled her mouth.

The flavors and textures of the disk kept changing until Harper thought she must have tasted every one of her favorite foods in some way or another. And though she hadn’t swallowed anything, she suddenly felt full.

Not too full, like you felt after a Christmas dinner with all the fixings, though. Just perfectly satisfied, like she would never need to eat again.

And at that point, the disk on her tongue melted away to nothingness, leaving a light, minty aftertaste in her mouth like a faint reminder of where it had been.

“Oh…” Harper’s eyelids fluttered open. She’d closed them somewhere around the time her Grams’ banana pudding had made its appearance, the better to savor everything. Now she looked with new appreciation at the bathing attendant. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. “That was lovely—absolutely lovely.”

“You are very welcome, Empress.” The bathing attendant bowed her head in acknowledgement. “And now, perhaps you’d like to see our selection of sexual attendants?”

“Oh, um…” Harper began as Shad took a step forward to protest. But neither of them got to finish what they were going to say.

“Of course she wants to see the attendants. I do too, for that matter,” a strident female voice exclaimed.

Harper turned to see an exotic-looking woman striding towards them. She was definitely plus-sized—even more so than Harper—and she had pale gray skin with a silvery, metallic tint to it. Even stranger, she was wearing a silver dress that appeared to be made out of large, overlapping scales.

It was difficult to see where the gown ended and her skin began but there was no doubt about her hair—it was a bright, brassy copper-gold which stuck up from her head in a long fringe—like a Mohawk haircut allowed to grow out until it was too floppy to quite stand up on its own. Her ears had multiple piercings with precious jewels from her ear lobes all the around the curving cup of the ear itself.

To Harper, this woman looked like a force to be reckoned with.

“Greetings!” she said, striding up to Harper with a bold grin. “You must be new to the Baths—I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before and believe me I’m here all the time.”

“Oh, Lady Marlbussen,” the bathing attendant exclaimed nervously. “I’m so sorry no one told you but this lady is the Empress Kyreella of Gobesh Prime of the Chavesh-Hie System and she’s here for a private bathing session before she sees the Goddess.”

“Private, huh?” Lady Marlbussen laughed as though that was a good joke. “Well I’m afraid nothing’s private with me around, hon,” she said, winking at Harper. “Like I said, I’m here all the time—mostly because I’m richer than the Goddess herself. They can’t keep you out when you’ve got money, right?” She winked broadly and laughed again.

In any other situation, Harper might have found the loud, confident woman irritating. But somehow the twinkle in Lady Marlbussen’s silver eyes and the joking tone of her rather husky voice made her smile instead of feeling aggravated.

“I…guess not,” she said hesitantly, unsure how to take the other woman’s joking comment.

“It also helps that I actually built these baths,” she continued. “Just another reason they let me have the run of the place and can’t kick me out.”

“You did?” Harper asked, surprised.

“Oh yeah, hon!” Lady Marlbussen nodded vigorously. “See, people—supplicants they call them—kept coming up here to see the Goddess and getting the wrong things fixed! Because she fixes the most pressing wrong thing in your life that she feels, you know?”

“Does she?” Harper said.

“Of course! So if you go up there with your tummy rumbling or if you’re horny out of your mind, well—that’s what she fixes. Not whatever other existential crisis is going on in your life.” She shrugged her plump, silver-toned shoulders. “She’s very practical like that. She Who Alters just fixes the most immediate thing that needs fixing.”

“Oh—well now the flavor disks and everything else makes sense,” Harper exclaimed.

“Do you like the disks?” Lady Marlbussen asked, grinning. “I have them specially made for the Baths. They cost twenty thousand credits apiece but of course you don’t care about money—or else you’ve got a lot of it to burn.” She laughed her forthright bray of a laugh. “There’s no other way that dried up old stick of a social secretary would let you in the front door—let alone grant you a private session. Right?”

“Exactly, Lady Marlbussen,” the bathing attendant said, attempting to jump into the conversation again. “And since the Empress is having a private session, maybe you could just come back at a later time or—”

“I don’t mind,” Harper said, smiling at the plump silver-skinned Lady Marlbussen. “She can stay.” She tilted her head at the other woman questioningly. “Maybe you can show me how things work here?”

“Sure, hon—I’d love to!” The other woman grinned. “Now, the first thing you’ve got to do is to get yourself just the right sexual attendant. A male who can make you sa-tis-fied.” She snapped her fingers at the bathing attendant. “Go on—get them all lined up in the Choosing Room, sweetie.”

“Yes, Lady Marlbussen!”

And before Harper could protest, the attendant had already scampered off down the dark hallway behind the silver counter.

“She’ll whip them into shape for us,” Lady Marlbussen said confidingly to Harper. “Then you can have pick of the litter. I’ll choose last.”

“That’s very kind of you but I actually already have a, uh, sexual attendant.” Harper nodded at Shad who looked like he was coming to a slow simmer of irritation.

“Do you now?” For the first time, Lady Marlbussen turned to look Shad over with a critical eye. “Hmm…not bad at all for one of the lower orders,” she murmured.

“What? Lower orders? What does that mean?” Harper asked uncertainly.

“Don’t you have orders of males on your planet?” Lady Marlbussen asked. “We do here. The higher orders are generally smaller but much more intelligent. If you want to have a child fathered, that’s the kind you’d choose. The lower orders are bigger but unfortunately on the dim side. Still, there’s something to be said for size…” She eyed Shad and ran the tip of her tongue over her silver lips.

“Size isn’t linked to intelligence where I come from,” Harper said. “And Shad here is actually my bodyguard and my, uh, sexual attendant.”

“Is he?” Lady Marlbussen seemed surprised. “Making him do double duty, eh? Well, just because you already have one sexual attendant doesn’t mean you can’t have two. In fact, I think I’ll take two myself. Follow me.”

She walked around the silver counter as though she owned the place—maybe she did—and beckoned Harper to follow her. Feeling helpless, Harper did so. After all, she’d asked the other woman to show her how things worked at the Cleansing Baths so she could hardly decline her invitation to follow.

Lady Marlbussen led her and Shad along a dark, echoing corridor until they came to a rounded doorway. She rapped twice and shouted, “They’d better be ready!” before opening the door and striding confidently inside.

Harper followed and what she saw made her catch her breath.

There were about fifteen males lined up in order of size standing in a row in the long, tiled room. The shortest, at the far end, only came up to her elbow but he had a sharp, intelligent look on his face. The largest, all the way at the other end of the row, was a foot taller than Shad. He had a vacant expression on his blunted features and his movements were slow when he turned his head to stare at Harper.

All of the males were stark naked—it was the largest collection of male equipment Harper had seen since her friend, Emile, convinced her to watch gay porn with him. (It had not been her cup of tea.)

And speaking of naked, that was exactly how Harper felt in her fringe dress.

Oh my God—so much for nobody but other women and Shad seeing me in this dress! she thought, feeling a blush of shame creep into her cheeks. Quickly, she wrapped the cloak of thorns more tightly around herself but it wasn’t quite large enough to close in the front so she still felt exposed.

“Now then…” Lady Marlbussen was already striding up and down the row of prospective candidates like a general inspecting her troops. “Which of you is it to be? I think I might be in the mood for two today but which two?”

She stopped in front of one of the smaller males and looked him up and down.

“Well, you’re not much for height but you’re quite impressive in the cock department,” she remarked and to Harper’s horror, she reached between his legs and took his shaft in her hand. “Tell me—are you a grower or a shower?” she demanded as she massaged him briskly. “Never mind—I’ll find out myself.”

The male looked like he was trying not to groan and soon enough he had quite a large erection.

Lady Marlbussen nodded approvingly. “All right. You’ll do.”

She motioned the sexual attendant to get out of line and he stepped to one side as she continued her bizarre comparison shopping.

Harper hardly knew which way to look. On one hand, it was mortifying and she’d never been in a room with so many naked men before in her life—nor had she wanted to!

On the other hand, it was kind of fascinating too. And in a strange way, empowering. Lady Marlbussen was clearly the one in charge here and the men did exactly what she told them, no questions asked. She ran her hands over their biceps and chests, pinched to test the firmness of their asses, and stroked and fondled their shafts and balls until they were biting their lips to keep from groaning as she brought them to attention.

Harper hoped they were willing participants here and nobody had forced them into this. They all seemed happy enough, though, and she saw looks of eager anticipation on the faces of the males Lady Marlbussen fondled, as though they were hoping she would pick them.

Finally she settled on another male—one of the lower orders this time who was almost as big as Shad—and sent him out of line too. Then she turned to the bathing attendant who had been standing quietly to one side the entire time.

“All right—I’ve got my two. I’m ready for the pleasure room.”

“I, uh, guess I am too,” Harper said uncertainly but the bathing attendant shook her head.

“Forgive me, Empress, but your sexual attendant must pass inspection before he can attend you in the pleasure room.”

“What?” Harper exclaimed and Shad growled, low in his throat,

“What in the Seven Hells?”

“Oh, that’s right!” Lady Marlbussen snapped her fingers. “Sorry, hon, but those are the rules. But you can inspect him yourself if you want, just like I did with my own two males. The bathing attendant just has to watch and be certain he’s fit to serve you.”

“Can’t you just, uh, take my word for it?” Harper asked desperately. She really didn’t want Shad to have to strip down in front of everybody. She’d seen him naked before—briefly, when he came to get her on the beach—but this was in a room full of strangers!

“No, I’m sorry Empress, but the rules are firm on this matter,” the bathing attendant said primly.

“Oh, but—” Harper started to protest.

But to her surprise, Shad was already stripping off his clothes. When she looked at him uncertainly, he shrugged, his broad shoulders.

“Not worth fighting about,” he growled. “Might as well get it over with.”

“I, uh, guess so.” Harper watched, dry-mouthed, as he stripped out of the black leather vest and tight leather trousers and the heavy boots he wore. God, he was mouthwatering naked—she couldn’t take her eyes off the play of muscles as he moved. He was like a Greek statue come to life.

Thinking of that made her remember the living statues out in the entry hall, especially the male with his face buried between the female’s legs.

A hot blush crept into her cheeks and she tried to push the image out of her mind. She wasn’t interested in that kind of attention—she didn’t like it when guys tried going down. They either acted like they were doing her a favor and gave her two or three quick licks before coming back up for the “main attraction” or they had no idea what they were doing and couldn’t find her clit with both hands and a flashlight.

There was nothing worse than having a guy fumbling around down there, thinking he was some kind of hero because he was willing to go downtown while he was missing the point—literally as well as figuratively.

Harper had decided long ago that she just wasn’t going to go there—or let anyone else go there either. It was too much hassle for too little reward.

Then she remembered Shad saying he had tasted her before—many times—on the different paths the time loop had taken them on. He’d said he always had to convince her but after she let him try it, she loved it…

“I’ve tasted your sweet pussy so many times…” His soft, seductive words rumbled in her memory and she squeezed her thighs together tightly, wishing again that she’d worn a less revealing dress. If only she’d—

But her train of thought came to an abrupt halt when Shad straightened up before her, completely naked.

“Mm-mm. Very nice!” Lady Marlbussen said approvingly.

“Yes, he really is,” Harper murmured. The big Kindred’s skin looked like pale, chiseled marble, each muscle on his massive body cut and perfectly defined. Her fingers itched to trace the hard planes of his chest, ivory column of his throat, the corded sinews of his thighs. And between those thighs…

God he’s huge—even bigger than I remembered!

He put every other man in the room to shame—even the one that was a head taller than him.

Harper became aware that she was reaching out a hand to touch him as he stood at attention before her. Biting her lip, she drew back, restraining herself though she wanted desperately to feel the rough satin of his skin, the heat of his hard body…desperately wanted to see the contrast of her own creamy brown tones against the pale perfection of his flesh.

“No, go on—you can touch him,” Lady Marlbussen encouraged her. “In fact, you’re supposed to inspect him to be certain he’s adequate to fulfill your needs.”

“Really?” Harper said, looking at the other woman.

“Yes, Empress.” It was the bathing attendant who answered. “Your choice for sexual attendant must be examined thoroughly. Either by yourself or by me or by another qualified person.”

“I’ll inspect him for you if you want.” Lady Marlbussen sounded positively hungry. “I don’t mind a bit.”

“No!” Harper said quickly, moving to stand closer to Shad and protect him from the predatory gaze of the other woman. “I…I’ll do it.”

“Hurry up and get on with it, then.” Lady Marlbussen sounded impatient. “I want to get to the pleasure room.”

Harper didn’t see that she had any choice. Either she was going to run her hands all over Shad’s big muscular body…or one of the other two women were. And though they weren’t exactly on the best of terms right now, she was pretty certain he’d rather have her touching him than some stranger.

Hesitantly at first, she put up a hand to touch one broad shoulder. This was familiar territory—she’d clung to his shoulder as he sucked the nectar from her breasts and stroked her pussy with his fingers.

Oh God—why had she thought that? Now she couldn’t get the erotic memory out of her head!

Aware that the bathing attendant and Lady Marlbussen were watching her, she ran her hand lower, stroking the hard planes of his chest and even daring to circle the flat copper disks of his nipples with the tips of her fingers.

Shad stiffened at that and she thought she heard a low groan, far back in his throat. Did he like that then? Having his nipples played with?

Experimentally, she pinched one tender little nub between thumb and finger. Shad stiffened more but didn’t flinch away. Indeed, when she looked between his legs she saw that her actions were having a definite effect.

Suddenly Harper lost her uncertainty. A sense of empowerment filled her instead. In their previous encounters, the big Kindred had always had the upper hand. He was always telling her what to do and what not to do and he was always in command of any given situation. But here and now…

Now I’m in command—in control, Harper thought suddenly. I can do whatever I want and he can’t stop me.

The thought was immensely appealing. Harper felt a naughty smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Hadn’t she been thinking that she wanted to get revenge on the big Kindred for the way he’d been acting this whole last week? Well now was her chance—the perfect opportunity to torture him the way he’d been torturing her had presented itself—had fallen right into her lap!

Leaning forward, she ran the tip of her tongue around the nipple she’d been tugging and then gave it a nice, slow lick.

Shad made a low, hoarse sound of surprise and she looked up to see that his white eyes were wide with uncertainty.

“That’s right, baby,” she murmured, giving him a slow, seductive smile. “I’m in charge now. You just have to stand there and take it.”

To emphasize her point, she took the tiny, flat nub between her teeth and nipped him sharply before moving to the other side of his chest to do the same to his left nipple.

“Empress…” he growled warningly but he didn’t move—couldn’t move—and Harper knew it. He just had to stand there and let her “inspect” him and by God, she intended to do a very thorough job.

She straightened up and ran her hand down his rippling abs, admiring the way his flat belly quivered under her touch. There was a small trail of dark hair that ran down the center of his hard abdomen to his cock. Harper followed it, teasing lightly along it with her nails, watching as his thickness rose in answer to her touch.

“Empress…” Shad’s voice was low and hoarse, for her ears only. “What are you doing?”

“Just making sure you’re fit to serve me.” Harper gave him a smile that was half teasing/half cruel. She wanted him to suffer a little for the way he’d been treating her—for all the times he’d put her off and refused to talk to her…for the way he’d made her care for him and then turned his back after her heart was lost.

She took the pulsing shaft in her hand and heard the big Kindred stifle a groan. God, he was huge. She wondered for the first time exactly how Shad was supposed to gratify her sexual needs. Hopefully no one would be watching to see if he made love to her because she knew he was dead set against going that far.

And even if he wanted to I don’t know if we could, she thought wonderingly, looking down at his massive erection. I don’t know if I could fit all this inside me!

Shad groaned again as she stroked him up and down. Her fingers wouldn’t meet around his girth but she greatly enjoyed his warmth and the silky, petal-soft skin of his shaft.

A bead of shiny clear precum had gathered at the slit on the broad head of his cock, Harper saw. She slipped her thumb over it, collecting the slippery stuff and using it as she worked her hand up and down his length. She loved the feeling of power it gave her to hold Shad so intimately in her hand—to know that he was at her mercy and he had to stand there and take whatever she dished out.

“Empress,” he growled for a third time.

In answer, Harper let her other hand drift down to cup his heavy balls. She rolled them gently in her fingers, liking the feeling of his vulnerability cupped right in the palm of her hand.

She looked up to see that Shad’s eyes were closed, as though he was trying to control the emotions she was raising in him.

“No, Shad,” she murmured, just as he had. “No, open your eyes. I want you to look at me while I do this…while I touch you.”

“I can’t,” he growled but his eyes opened anyway, their strange opalescent depths blazing into hers. “If I do—if I watch you touching me—I’ll come. I want you too fucking badly. Having your hands on me like this is…”

“Torture?” Harper asked sweetly. “Maybe like the same torture you put me through when you went back to being distant and aloof after the sex-milk incident?”

“That was no ‘incident’,” he snarled softly. “I drank of you, Harper. Drained your sweet breasts and made you come on my fingers with your ripe nipples tight between my lips.”

His words made her catch her breath and Harper felt her nipples tingle and her pussy pulse with lust. Only the fact that she was still wearing the rainbow cloak of thorns and knowing it would bite the big Kindred if she got any closer kept her from pressing her body against his to feel his skin caressing her own. If only…

“Excuse me, Empress, but if you’re done jerking off your bodyguard there, maybe we could move on to the pleasure room?”

The bored voice of Lady Marlbussen brought Harper back to reality.

“Oh!” she exclaimed and pulled her hand away from Shad’s long, throbbing shaft. For a time there, it had seemed like they were the only two people in the room. She’d forgotten about the bathing attendant and Lady Marlbussen and even the other sexual attendant males who were still standing in a row.

For a moment, Harper was chagrinned. How could she have done such a private thing in such a public place? But then the feeling of empowerment came back. Lady Marlbussen had done similar things to the other male attendants as she looked them over and made her choice. Even now she was only impatient to get to the pleasure room.

And who knows what might happen there? Harper thought as she reluctantly stepped away from the big Kindred.

She had a feeling she was about to find out.

Chapter Fourteen

Gods, she was killing him with her teasing!

Shad wished he could convey to Harper how close to the edge he was—how little it would take to push him over at this point. Her soft, small hand on his aching shaft had made him burn to take her—every instinct he had was demanding that he push her to the ground and have her right here and now. But he knew he couldn’t.

Have to resist these impulses—these urges, he told himself sternly. But it was an easier order to give than to follow, especially when he remembered her wet tongue tracing his nipples and the feeling of her stroking his cock…

How was he going to control himself in the pleasure room when he felt ready to burst with unfulfilled desire?

Shad had no idea but he resolved grimly to try.

* * * * *

“Now, the pleasure room is set up with all kinds of toys as you can see,” Lady Marlbussen remarked as they walked into another large room—this one padded on the walls and floors with some kind of shiny deep blue material which glowed in the dim golden light.

Harper’s eyes went wide as she looked around. Toys there were indeed—toys aplenty. Some of them were obvious—dildos of all shapes and sizes as well as long feather wands, a few whips and paddles, and some other things she didn’t even know the name of.

However, the room didn’t give the impression of a BDSM sex dungeon so much as an elaborate pleasure area with accoutrements to accommodate even the most exotic tastes. It seemed to be more about sensuality than domination.

“I love the selection of personal pleasure devices here,” Lady Marlbussen remarked, going to stand by a wall of implements which might have been vibrators. “I picked most of them out myself when we were stocking this place. But I find that the best toys of all are the males you chose as your attendants.”

She walked to a high bench covered in plush blue velvet and perched herself on it like a queen. Then she let down the top of her fish-scale gown, baring two large breasts tipped with grayish-pink nipples.

“Come here, boys,” she purred to the two males who had followed her. “Suck my nipples.”

At once the two attendants moved to do her bidding, standing on either side of her and leaning down to take her nipples in their mouths eagerly.

Lady Marlbussen moaned appreciatively and stroked their broad backs, running her fingers through their hair. She looked over their heads at Harper challengingly.

“Well? What are you waiting for, Empress? You asked me to show you how it’s done—just follow my lead and you’ll be fine.”

“Oh, I…” Harper took a deep breath and lifted her chin. “All right,” she said feeling a flutter of butterflies in her stomach. Turning to Shad she spoke imperiously, using her best Empress voice. “Shadow, suck my nipples.”

The look he gave her was pure, dangerous lust—his pale eyes blazing, his hands fisted at his sides. It made her breath catch in her throat and she almost took back the order. But she reminded herself she was playing a part here—they both were. She had to remain the strong and demanding Empress to be believable. Besides, she liked being in charge and she wanted Shad to know it.

“Well?” she demanded, when he just stood there.

“I will be pleased to do my lady’s bidding,” he said, his voice low and grating. “If she will be pleased to first remove the cloak of thorns. I don’t believe it will allow intimacies.”

“Oh, uh…” Harper cleared her throat. “No, I guess you’re right. It probably won’t.”

She took off the rainbow cloak, which whimpered a little in protest, and hung it on a peg which also held some kind of leather studded paddle. Then, feeling more exposed than ever in her long, green fringe gown, she turned back to Shad.

“Do it now,” she commanded.

With a low growl, he was on her. His big hands slipped between the fringes of the gown and caressed her body with hard, sure strokes not just exploring her but marking her—owning her.

Harper made a little noise of surprise as his long fingers slid up to squeeze her breasts and then down to grip her ass. He pulled her to him and she gasped and took a stumbling step toward him, her breasts thrusting fully out from between the silky fringes.

Her jutting nipples felt tender and hot as he sucked one hungrily into his mouth and drew on it hard. Then he pulled back and nipped her sharply, just as she had done to him. Before she could do more than give a little cry, he was sucking again, more tenderly this time—rolling his tongue around her throbbing tip as though to ease the ache he’d created.

“Shad!” she moaned and threaded her fingers through his thick, black hair. Pressing her chest up and out, she offered him more—wanting to give him easier access to her body.

“Well, well,” Lady Marlbussen remarked as Shad turned his attention to her other nipple and began sucking hard. “I can see that your attendant is certainly determined to do his job correctly.”

“Shad’s very…very dedicated,” Harper explained breathlessly. “Oh!” she added. He had nipped her again and now he was looking into her eyes as he bathed her aching point with his hot tongue.

“Do you see that boys?” Lady Marlbussen exclaimed, tapping both her attendants on the head. “You’re going to have to do a damn site better if you want to keep up with the Empress and her bodyguard over there.” She pushed the two of them petulantly away and shimmied out of her dress completely. Then she lay down on the blue velvet bench. “I want you to lick me,” she told her attendants. “Give me a tongue bath.”

At once, her two attendants started licking—the smaller one beginning at her neck and making his way down while the larger attendant started at her ankles and made his way up. Lady Marlbussen hummed contentedly and stretched luxuriously, apparently enjoying the erotic attention to the hilt.

Harper stared at the sight in front of her in consternation. Why had she agreed to follow Lady Marlbussen’s lead? And what was she going to do now?

“Well, my Empress?” Shad growled hoarsely, looking up at her from his position between her breasts. “How may I pleasure you now?”

It was a dare and Harper knew it. The sardonic look on his face proved as much.

He doesn’t think I’ll do it—doesn’t think I’ll be brave enough to go further, Harper realized. She frowned. I’ll show him!

“What are you waiting for, Shadow?” she demanded, “lick me!”

“Thought you’d never ask.” There was a hunger in his opalescent eyes as he rose suddenly and scooped her into his arms.

“Shad!” she gasped in protest but he didn’t put her down.

“Can’t do this right unless I have you on your back,” he growled. Carrying her over to a black velvet-lined bench much like the one Lady Marlbussen was lying on, he laid her down carefully and raised her hands over her head.

“What…what are you doing?” Harper exclaimed. The supine position made her feel intensely vulnerable. She tried to lower her hands but Shad wouldn’t let her. He held her wrists above her head with one big hand and looked into her eyes.

“No. Open yourself to me, Harper,” he said in a low voice. “Open yourself and let me taste you.”

It was then that Harper knew he wasn’t just intending to lick all over her body the way Lady Marlbussen had ordered her own attendants to do.

Dear God, he’s going to go down on me—right here in public. Well, if not exactly in public, at least they weren’t alone. Of course, Lady M and her two attendants were enthusiastically engaged with each other at the opposite end of the room and presumably not paying attention to her and Shad. But still…

“Shad,” she tried to protest as he pulled her towards the end of the bench so that her ass was at the padded velvet end of it. “You know I don’t want…don’t like…”

“Did you know that Kindred males need to taste their females?” he interrupted as he settled on the floor in front of her with his big hands on her knees. “It’s not just a preference like it is for Earth males. It’s an actual, biological need that develops when a male gets close to a female he wants to claim.”

“But I can’t…we shouldn’t…” Harper protested feebly.

“We’ve gone past can’t and shouldn’t,” Shad growled, looking at her intensely. “You’ve pushed me to the edge, Harper. Either let me taste your pussy or I’m going to fill you with my cock.”

A shiver ran though Harper’s body at his low, intense growl.

“But…but I thought you didn’t want to do that,” she protested breathlessly.

“Oh, I fucking want to, sweetheart,” he snarled softly. “I know if I do it’ll end badly. But I want to. I have from the first moment I saw you.”

“We…we shouldn’t,” she whispered.

“No, we fucking well shouldn’t,” he agreed. “Because even if we make it to the end of the loop—even if we manage to keep you alive and get you altered so the Hive can’t use you—I’ll still lose you.”

“What? How?” Harper asked, blinking up at him uncertainly.

“Because you’ll go back to where you were on the beach and time will reset itself, flowing on a different path—the path of what might have been. You’ll forget all this…” He waved a hand to indicate all they’d been through. “You’ll forget me—I’ll just be a stranger. Then I’ll go back to my time and you’ll stay in yours. We’ll never meet again.”

“We…we won’t?” Harper didn’t know why the idea of never seeing the big Kindred again hurt her heart but it did—it throbbed painfully in her chest and for some reason she had to blink back tears that stung her eyes.

“Never,” Shad said grimly. “We’re twenty years apart—I’m less than ten cycles old during your time.”

“Which means I would be way too old for you when I finally got to your time, I guess,” Harper murmured.

Suddenly she was beginning to understand why Shad had been so standoffish, why he didn’t want to risk bonding with her or making a commitment. No matter what happened—whether they failed or succeeded in their quest this time, he would still lose her and she would still forget him.

She cleared her throat. “So… if we somehow formed a bond, even though you’re pretty sure you can’t…”

“It would kill me to lose you if I was bonded to you,” he growled softly. “Which is why you need to spread your legs right now and let me in. I need to taste you Harper—I’m going Goddess-damned crazy not being able to have you.” He glared at her. “And you haven’t been making it any easier strutting around in that “dress” and stroking me with your soft little hands.”

Harper felt her cheeks get hot and her breath come short as she remembered the way she’d teased and touched him. But damn it, she had only been trying to get a little of her own back—trying to get revenge for the way he’d treated her the past week. Now she felt ashamed, knowing why he’d been acting the way he had. But she hadn’t had any idea before. How was she supposed to know?

“Shad—” she began.

“I’ll be gentle,” he murmured, holding her eyes with his own. “I swear to the Goddess, Harper—just let me in and I swear I’ll start out gentle.”

“Just ‘start out' gentle?” she asked hesitantly. “What about after that?”

He gave her a wolfish grin.

“After I kiss you and get you all warmed up I’m going to tongue-fuck your sweet pussy until you come all over my face.”

“Shad!” she exclaimed but he already had his big hands on her knees and was urging them apart.

“Let me in,” he growled insistently. “I need to taste you, Harper. “Need to taste your juices for myself.”

Harper couldn’t seem to help herself—Empress persona or no, it seemed she had lost all control of the situation. With a helpless little cry, she felt her thighs part. Then the Kindred’s broad shoulders were forcing her knees wide and her pussy was exposed, naked and open and trembling, just for him, it seemed.

Shad gave a growl of pure hunger and thrust his face between her spread legs.

Harper was certain he was going to dive right in, his promise to be gentle forgotten. Mentally she was bracing herself for the feeling of his hot tongue invading her pussy lips.

But Shad surprised her by leading with his cheek instead of his mouth.

He pressed against her, rubbing first one scratchy cheek and then the other against the tender outer folds of her pussy—bathing in her scent like a cat rolling in catnip.

Harper made a sound that was half moan, half cry and he looked up at her, his white eyes blazing.

“Gods, I’ve missed your scent, Kallana. You always smell so fucking good every time I taste you.”

Harper experienced a strange sensation—almost a deja-vu feeling, hearing him talk like this, recalling that he’d done this many times before on different time paths, even though she couldn’t remember it.

“So sweet,” he groaned again and this time he did kiss her—laying a sweet, sucking kiss on the outside of her pussy as he drew her outer lips into his mouth and then released them slowly, as though he relished every moment of it.

“Oh!” Harper breathed as he did it again and then again. He had yet to lick or taste the inside of her pussy but the feeling of his hot breath on her thighs and the sucking, teasing sensation of his wet mouth on her outer lips was driving her crazy. Her legs were over his broad shoulders now and she squeezed them together, loving the feel of his scratchy cheeks against her tender inner thighs.

Shad looked up for a moment.

“That’s right, sweetheart—enjoy yourself. Let yourself go and fly—I swear I’ll catch you.”

“Shad…” she whispered and reached down to stroke his silky-coarse hair. It felt like black feathers between her fingers and his eyes were pure mother of pearl, shifting rainbows, and need.

“So fucking gorgeous when you let me taste you,” he growled softly. “Open yourself now, Harper. Let me taste you inside.”

“I…I’ll try,” she whispered breathlessly. This wasn’t anything like the other disastrous experiences she’d had when a guy wanted to go down. There was no hesitation with Shad—no feeling that he was doing her a favor or that he didn’t really want to be here. This was a need for him—he’d told her so. A hunger only she could satisfy and the only way to satisfy it was to spread her pussy wide and let him taste her and lap away her juices.

Slowly, she parted her legs.

“Good sweetheart—just spread a little wider,” he commanded and ran his big hands down her inner thighs, urging them apart.

Biting her lip, Harper complied, opening her thighs completely. Her pussy opened too, with the movement, her inner folds glistening with moisture, her outer lips tender and engorged with desire.

“Ah, Gods—I’ve wanted to do this again for so long. Missed tasting you so much, baby,” Shad growled softly. He seemed to be drinking her in with his eyes. Then he spread her pussy carefully with his thumbs and ducked down again.

Harper moaned as he laid a gentle, open-mouthed kiss on her throbbing clit, then circled it with his tongue. God, his mouth was so warm, which she really liked. The few times her ex, Jareth, had tried going down on her, he had done it right after brushing his teeth after getting ready for bed. There was nothing more off-putting, at least in Harper’s opinion, than having a cold mouth on your hot inner core. When Jareth had poked her with his tongue, it was like getting an icicle shoved inside her.

It was completely different with Shad.

He didn’t perform a few tentative licks and call it quits for one thing. Her ex had always reminded Harper of a picky cat with a bowl of cream, taking a small taste here and a small taste there before deciding he didn’t actually like what was being offered.

In contrast, Shad was like a man thirsting to death who had found a source of fresh, sweet water. After teasing her clit for a moment, he spread her pussy even wider with his thumbs and then lapped upward, dragging the flat of his tongue from the well of her sex up over her slippery folds until he reached the top of her slit. Then he did it again…and again and again until Harper thought she was going to explode.

“Shad,” she gasped breathlessly, fisting her fingers in his thick hair. “Shad please…please.”

She hardly knew what she was begging for but the big Kindred seemed to know without even asking. It occurred to Harper as he lapped her open pussy that he knew her body intimately—knew how to make her come possibly better than any other man she’d ever been with. And she was getting close…so damn close if only he would…

As if in answer to her silent, half-formed wish, two long, thick fingers suddenly found the entrance to her pussy and began to circle her wet, slippery well.

“Oh!” she moaned softly. “Oh, Shad…”

He looked up for a moment, his eyes blazing.

“Are you ready to come for me, Harper? Ready to come all over my face and give me your sweet honey?”

“I…I think so,” she gasped.

“That’s good. Because I’m about to make you come hard, baby. I’m about to make you fly.”

Still holding her eyes with his, he pressed inside.

Harper arched her back as his fingers entered her—but not all the way. Instead, Shad crooked them upward making a “come on” gesture as he rubbed hard against a spot inside her that Harper had barely known existed.

She’d read plenty of articles about how to find your G-spot and how to help a lover find it but she’d never been very successful with it. The clit was her happy place and she was satisfied if a guy could just succeed in locating it and stimulating it in a halfway decent way.

But she was coming to see that Shad didn’t do anything halfway. As he rubbed hard against that spot inside her, he sucked her clit into his mouth and lashed it with his tongue, causing a wave of overwhelming sensation to wash over her, drenching her in pure, intense pleasure.

Suddenly, Harper was there—up over the edge of orgasm and flying, just as he had promised.

“Ah…Ahhhh!”

What came from her throat was more like a wail than a cry. She bucked her hips, her body fishtailing on the bench so that Shad had to curl one big arm under her arched back to keep her from falling off. He gathered her closer to himself, making sure to keep their connection, staying with her even as she moaned and her pussy gushed juices which he lapped up eagerly.

“Shad! Shad!” She cried his name like a prayer, unable to stop herself or hold back in any way. No one had ever made her come this hard—no one had ever taken her so high or pushed her so hard.

And still he wasn’t done.

Harper felt something smooth and cool against her thigh and then a buzzing sensation began. Looking down, she saw that Shad had gotten one of the vibrators from a nearby rack—a smooth, bullet shaped ivory one about as long as his hand. He was using on her outer pussy lips now but clearly he intended to do more.

“Shad,” she said breathlessly. “Shad, what…”

“Need to make you come again.” His voice was a hoarse growl. “You’re just getting started, baby. You can have multiples when I work you right.”

Harper had never had multiple orgasms in her life—that she remembered, she reminded herself. But apparently the big Kindred knew how to give them to her.

“I don’t know—” she began but then he touched the buzzing tip of the vibrating wand to her aching clit and she moaned and jumped.

“You’re going to come for me again,” Shad growled softly. “Come while I swallow your sweet juices, Kallana.”

Then he was stroking her with the buzzing toy, sliding it teasingly over her wet, throbbing clit before pushing it deep inside her to fuck her with its length.

Harper threw back her head and cried with pleasure, her toes curling and her back arching as she felt yet another orgasm building.

He’s right, she thought dizzily. I can come again.

And then she did. And then again…and again…and again as Shad continued to tease orgasm after orgasm out of her while he lapped at her thirstily.

At last she was a panting mess.

“Shad,” she begged weakly. “Shad, please—no more. I can’t…can’t stand it again. I can’t.”

He finally looked up, his mouth and jaw wet from her juices. True to his word, he had been lapping away her honey as fast as she could make it, cleaning her pussy gently after every orgasm until he felt she was ready for another. But right now Harper felt like she would die if he tried again—she was sexually exhausted.

Shad seemed to sense it or maybe he could just tell by looking at her because he nodded at last and rose from his knees. Scooping Harper up, he sat on the bench and cradled her to his broad chest.

“Kiss me,” he said huskily, looking into her eyes.

Harper was more than happy to. Winding her arms around his muscular neck, she drew his head down to hers and kissed his mouth, now red from licking and sucking her.

Shad groaned and kissed her back passionately.

Harper moaned again as her own secret flavor exploded in her mouth. God, it tasted good when she licked it off the big Kindred’s skin!

He seemed to agree because he parted her lips and slipped his tongue inside her mouth, feeding her the taste as the two of them kissed passionately.

But after a moment, Harper became aware of something hot and hard poking her ass. Suddenly she understood what it was.

He still hasn’t come—Shad’s been giving me multiple orgasms and I haven’t done anything in return.

“Shad…” She reached down between them and began to stroke the long, hard shaft again. She wanted desperately to have it inside her—wanted to feel Shad filling her to the hilt with his thickness, spreading her open with his cock. But she knew now why it was impossible. She couldn’t risk forming a bond with him when he was going to lose her—when they were going to lose each other…

No, don’t think about that! she commanded herself. Think about giving him pleasure—the same pleasure he gave you.

Shad groaned softly as she continued to stroke him.

“Gods, sweetheart…”

“Let me suck you.” Harper was already sliding down between his legs. “Let me taste you the way you tasted me.”

“You don’t have to,” he protested. “Letting me taste your sweet pussy was enough for me, Harper.”

“No, it wasn’t or you wouldn’t still be so hard and achy.”

Slowly she caressed the long length of him. There was no way she could fit all this into her mouth. But she could at least taste him and use her hands and mouth to help him come.

Precum was already flowing freely from the broad head of his shaft and she bent her head to lap it away, watching him watch her as she did so. His opalescent eyes were half-lidded with lust and he didn’t try to protest anymore as she knelt before him, stroking his throbbing length.

“Mmm…”

To Harper’s surprise, his precum tasted different from any other guy’s she’d ever been with. She’d been expecting a salty, bitter flavor. But though there was a hint of salt in the big Kindred’s precum, there was a sweetness too. In fact, what it really tasted like was…

“Salted caramel!” She looked up at him. “You taste like salted caramel.”

“Is that good?” he asked, his voice hoarse with desire.

“It’s pretty much my favorite flavor,” Harper admitted. In fact, it had featured prominently when she’d tasted the flavor disk given to her by the bathing attendant.

She bent her head to lap up more of the delicious stuff.

“Mmmm, so good.”

Shad groaned and ran a hand gently down her back as she sucked him some more, kissing and licking along his thick shaft, loving the warm, masculine spice of his scent.

“Gods, Kallana, you’re going to make me come,” he groaned as she lapped at him.

Harper ran her tongue from the broad base of his shaft all the way up to the head and looked him in the eyes.

“That’s the idea. And I want you to come in my mouth.”

She had never made this offer before—not even to Jareth when they were engaged. But now she meant every word of it. Emotion for the big Kindred filled her heart—an emotion dangerously close to love if she let herself admit it. She wanted to give him as much pleasure as he’d given her.

And of course, it didn’t hurt that he tasted like dessert.

“Gods, sweetheart…when you talk like that…” Shad groaned. “The feel of your hot mouth and your soft little hands stroking me…it’s too fucking much.”

“I want it to be too much. Come for me,” Harper urged. Then she sucked him as deeply into her mouth as she could and stroked his long shaft with both hands, working him skillfully.

Apparently it was enough—or as Shad had said, too much. With a low groan, she felt him stiffen and incredibly, the shaft in her mouth grew even thicker for a moment. Then he pulsed and something salty and sweet and completely delicious filled her mouth.

God, his cum tastes even better than his precum! Harper thought deliriously. Eagerly, she swallowed and continued to stroke him, hoping for more.

Shad didn’t disappoint her. Spurt after spurt of warm, salted caramel flavor filled her mouth as he groaned her name and stroked her back and shoulders and hair with his big, warm hands.

“Harper! Ah, Gods, baby—your sweet little mouth feels so damn good…so hot…”

At last, though he didn’t get any softer, he stopped coming and there was no more to suck.

Harper drew back uncertainly, looking at the long, hard shaft in her hand. It was as big as ever—which was fairly massive.

Shad seemed to see her look of consternation because he stroked her cheek and asked gently, “What is it, Kallana? What’s wrong?”

“Well, it’s just…I felt you come—I tasted it,” she said. “It was freaking delicious which is crazy—I didn’t know anybody could taste that good.”

“You do.” His eyes were half-lidded again. “Your pussy is my favorite flavor in the entire universe. It’s one of the things I tasted when the bathing attendant gave me a flavor disk.”

“Really?” Harper looked at him uncertainly. “Wow, that’s…wow.” She cleared her throat. “But back to the matter at, uh, hand…” She motioned to his shaft which she still clasped loosely in her fist. “You came but you’re still hard.”

“You always ask me that.” He laughed, a warm, rumbling, happy sound which was different from his usual dark tone. Harper loved it at once and wished she could get him to laugh more often. Of course, once they were finished here, she would never hear it again. She wouldn’t even remember it enough to miss it…to miss him…

No! She pushed the depressing thought away.

“Okay, so I always ask—and what do you tell me?” she said.

“That Kindred males are capable of being multi-orgasmic, just like Earth females,” he explained. “It allows us to stay hard so we can continue to pleasure our females for as long as they need us to.”

“Mmmm…” Harper eyed him appreciatively. “So you mean I could get more of your salted caramel cum?”

His eyes were suddenly half-lidded again.

“If you want it. Do you, sweetheart?”

“You have to ask?” Harper bent her head and captured the broad head of his cock between her lips once more. Loving the sound of his groans and the feeling of him watching her go down on him, she began to work him again.

But Shad stopped her.

“Wait, sweetheart,” he said, his deep voice husky with lust. “If you’re going to taste me again, I want to taste you too.”

He scooted back and lay down on the velvet bench. Then he motioned to Harper.

“Ride my face while you suck me. That way we can give each other pleasure at the same time.”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Harper felt uncertain. “I’m afraid I’ll crush you and besides, I don’t think my pussy can take anymore, baby. You worked me pretty hard already.”

He rumbled laughter again.

“You can’t crush me with your sweet curvy body and I promise I’ll be gentle.” His eyes filled with desire. “Just let me kiss you while you suck me. Your flavor and scent make me so fucking hot—I come so hard when I’m tasting you.”

His words excited her again and Harper felt a tingle of lust deep in her belly. She’d been certain she couldn’t take any more but surely it couldn’t hurt to just let him kiss her…

She got into the position he requested, kneeling on the broad bench with her pussy right over his mouth as she took his long, thick shaft in her hand once more.

“Now come down, baby.” His breath was warm against her inner thighs. “Come down and let me taste you one more time.”

With a little moan, Harper lowered herself down to his hot, wet mouth and took the head of his cock between her lips.

“Gently this time,” she heard Shad murmur. “Gently and slowly, Kallana.”

It took a long…long time and somehow he made her come again.

* * * * *

As he did every time he tasted her, Shad felt the familiar pleasure tempered by pain. He would lose her soon, and this time the loss would be final.

Don’t think about it, he commanded himself as he lapped gently at her tender flesh, feeling her pussy quiver against his tongue. Live in the moment. Give her as much pleasure as you can and enjoy the pleasure she gives you in return.

Closing his eyes, he concentrated on losing himself in the woman he loved because he knew, without a doubt, that this was the last time he would get to love her.

Chapter Fifteen

“Well, well—it appears that your attendant was successful in bringing you pleasure. A lot of pleasure—you nearly shouted the walls down! That is, when your mouth wasn’t too full for shouting.”

Lady Marlbussen sounded amused.

Harper jumped at the sound of the other woman’s voice.

Shad was cradling her in his lap after their final, emotional encounter and they were kissing, sharing each other’s flavor and reveling in the intimacy between them. Somehow, she’d completely forgotten anyone else was in the room.

She broke the kiss and looked up at the other woman, feeling suddenly naked all over again.

“No, no dear—don’t mind me.” Lady M waved a hand negligently. “By all means, finish what you started.”

“We are finished,” Shad growled. “I have seen to my Empress’s pleasure—now she should be able to go before She Who Alters without any other need to distract the Goddess’s attention.”

“Not before she’s gone through the Cleansing Waters.” Lady Marlbussen sounded slightly shocked. “You can’t just go into the presence of She Who Alters all sweaty from sex. You have to wash the exertion off—cleanse yourself of impurities before you can see her.”

“Lady Marlbussen is right.” The owlish bathing attendant popped up and Harper wondered where she’d been while she and Shad were giving each other pleasure. They’d been performing some pretty private acts—she really hoped the girl hadn’t been watching them the whole time.

“Okay,” she said, trying to rearrange the long fringes of her dress so that they somewhat covered her. She wasn’t very successful. They’d gotten pretty messed up during her activities with Shad and some of them had been torn off completely by his eager hands. “Um, so what’s next?” she asked.

“You must come with me,” the bathing attendant said, motioning at the door of the pleasure room. “We will go first into the steam baths to sweat impurities from your pores, then the showers to rinse away said impurities. Lastly you will enter the Cleansing Waters before you go before the Goddess.”

“All right—sounds fine to me.” Harper shrugged and looked at Lady Marlbussen. “Lead the way.”

“Oh no, hon—this is where I leave you.” The other woman smiled genially. “I only come here to use the sexual facilities. Whenever I have an itch that needs scratched.” She winked at Harper. “Which has been well and truly scratched today, I can tell you.”

“Oh, uh…well thank you for…for everything,” Harper said haltingly. It was hard to say exactly what the other woman had done for her. Well, except for goading her into teasing Shad until his iron self-control finally snapped.

In that case, I guess I really do have something to thank her for.

But should she thank her, Harper wondered. Should she thank her for pushing Shad and her together? Especially now that she realized once She Who Alters changed her so that the Hive could no longer use her, she would be back on the beach on Earth with no memory of the man she had come to love.

Because Harper did love the big Kindred—hopelessly, helplessly, and without reservation. She knew that now—felt connected to him in a way that she hadn’t before. She loved him and she was certain Shad loved her. But soon they would be parted forever…

Don’t think about it, she told herself. If you think about it you’ll cry. Don’t cry.

Pushing the disturbing emotions away, she lifted her chin and looked at the bathing attendant.

“I guess we’d better get going.”

“Indeed yes, Empress. If you would be so kind as to follow me…”

The owlish attendant with her wide, unblinking yellow eyes, led Harper and Shad out of the bathing room and into a long, dark, echoing corridor.

It had, Harper thought, a distinctly horror-movie type atmosphere. Wordlessly, she reached for Shad’s hand and felt instantly better when their fingers entwined.

As long as we’re together, we’ll be okay, she thought. And refused to think again of how soon they were going to be parted.

At last they stopped at a rounded black door with a foggy window set in the center of it.

“Here is the steam bath which will rid you of impurities, both emotional and physical,” the attendant said. “But first I fear you must undress.”

“Really?” Harper sighed and told herself it was no use feeling shy. After all, the thin fringes of her green dress didn’t really cover anything and anyway, Shad had just seen everything in the pleasure room. Still, she felt nervous about being absolutely naked, even though the big Kindred at her side was completely bare and didn’t seem to be bothered by it at all.

“It is the rule,” the attendant said firmly.

“Well…all right.” Harper fumbled at the back of the collar of the dress and finally managed to unfasten it. She pulled it off and held it in her arms like a shield across her breasts. “Where should I put it?”

“I will take it for you,” the attendant held out her hand. “All of your personal clothing and accoutrements will be waiting for you at the exit to She Who Alters’s audience chamber.”

Harper had a sudden thought.

“Oh—my cloak of thorns! I left it back in the pleasure room!” She felt immediately guilty. Though she had learned by reading on the Interweb that the cloak didn’t have to be fed or given any kind of liquid to live, she still felt like she was neglecting it and wondered if it thought she had abandoned it.

“I will bring it with your other things, Empress,” the bathing attendant assured her.

“But you have to be careful—it bites,” Harper told her anxiously. “It hates everyone but me. No one else can even touch it. It even bit Shad—I mean, my bodyguard.” She nodded at the big Kindred who also nodded.

“True. It has fucking sharp teeth when it wants to.”

“Have no fear, please Empress,” the attendant spoke serenely. “You are not the first to wear the royal cloth here. We have the necessary tools to handle your cloak of thorns safely. I promise it will be waiting when the Goddess is finished with you.”

“Well…all right,” Harper said reluctantly. She had removed her shoes back in the pleasure room she was now completely naked and there didn’t seem to be any other excuse to delay. “I guess…guess we’d better get on with it.”

“Yes, Empress,” the attendant nodded and drew back the rounded door revealing an echoing area of pitch blackness. A puff of strongly scented steam came out and wafted into Harper’s face, making her cough.

“Wait—you want me to go in there?” She peered into the blackness but couldn’t see a thing. “I’ll trip and kill myself. I can’t see in the dark!”

“I can.” Shad squeezed her fingers. “I’ll go with you, sweetheart.”

“Oh, no!” the attendant exclaimed, looking agitated. “Only the one who will stand in the presence of She Who Alters may enter.”

“I don’t care what you say,” Shad growled. “Anywhere Harper—I mean my Empress—goes, I go.”

“Oh dear, this is most irregular…” The attendant wrung her hands and even got excited enough to blink once or twice.

“We paid a lot to be here,” Shad reminded her. “And the social secretary did tell you to give us—to give the Empress—whatever she wants.”

“Yes…yes, that is true.” The bathing attendant calmed visibly. “Yes, if anything goes wrong, I can always remind her that she told me that. I also documented it, to be certain it is in the permanent record.”

“See? There you go—it’s in the permanent record,” Harper said soothingly. “So let Shad come in with me, all right? Because I really don’t want to go in there alone.” She looked into the dark, steamy room and shuddered.

“Very well.” The attendant nodded, still a bit hesitantly, Harper thought. “You may enter—both of you.”

“Come on, sweetheart.” Pulling her gently by the hand, Shad stepped across the threshold. Reluctantly, Harper followed him.

The door swung shut behind them, cutting off the last sliver of light. There was a metallic clicking sound, like a loudspeaker, and the attendant’s disembodied voice floated in to them, as though she was speaking over an intercom.

“Please make yourselves comfortable. I will release the mechanism and open the door once all extraneous impurities and emotions have been sweated out.”

“Ugh,” Harper muttered. She hated to sweat. Raising her voice she said to Shad, “Can you really see in here?” She shuffled forward in the dark behind him, keeping her free hand out in front of her to stop herself from hitting anything.

“Not as well as I can in broad daylight but enough to get around.” His deep voice echoed off the walls in a hollow-sounding way that made her think of a tiled area—a bathroom maybe or an indoor swimming pool.

“What’s in here? What are we supposed to do?” Harper asked, squeezing his hand tighter. The heat from the steamy room was already making her sweat and she didn’t like the feeling of clammy humidity.

“There are some wooden benches over here,” Shad grunted. “I guess we’re supposed to just sit and perspire.”

“Well…all right.” Carefully, Harper followed his lead. Once he was seated on a bench, he pulled her down beside him.

“There. That’s not so bad, right?” he asked, his deep voice low and intimate in her ear.

“It’s not so good either,” Harper pointed out. “I don’t like being all hot and sweaty and sticky. I might as well go back home to Florida if I wanted that.”

“You will go back home.” His voice was softer now…suddenly somber. “As soon as She Who Alters is finished with you we’ll reach the end of the loop and you’ll be transported instantly back.”

“What about you?” Harper had a difficult time speaking the words but somehow she forced them out. “Where…where will you go?”

Shad shrugged—she could feel the roll of his shoulder against her own in the darkness.

“I think I’ll go back to my own time. Back to a future where the Hive never blew up the Mother Ship or took over the Earth.”

“That will be nice,” Harper said but her voice came out flat. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I mean, all your people—your brothers and your friends and parents, they’ll all be back together again, right? All alive and healthy and happy.”

She told herself that alone was enough reason to be glad they were so close to the end of their quest. So many of Shad’s people had been killed and lost—it was wonderful to think of restoring them.

“Yes. It will be…perfect. Just as it should be.” His voice was flat too, quiet in the steamy darkness.

“And I guess by that time I’ll be in my fifties—if I’m still around,” Harper couldn’t help saying.

“I’ll come to you.” His voice was suddenly hoarse and fierce. “I don’t care about the age difference—I love you, Harper. I’ll find you as soon as I can—as soon as I’m of age.”

“But you’ll be eighteen and I’ll be something like forty-eight,” she objected. “And that's the best case scenario. What if the time loop puts you back to your time at the age you are now and I'm somewhere in my late fifties or early sixties? I can’t ask you to spend your youth with me when I’ll already be middle aged or older.”

“I don’t give a damn for any of that.” He put his arms around her and drew her close. “I love you, Harper. I always have. I’ll never stop.”

“Oh, Shad…” She felt tears rising in her eyes at his impassioned declaration and tried to blink them back. “I…I love you too,” she admitted, sniffing. “God, I wish we didn’t have to end like this. I mean, I know why we do but I don’t…don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t. I told you—I’ll seek you out,” he promised.

Harper didn’t have the heart to tell him that if she didn’t remember him and everything they’d been though, things probably wouldn’t work out between them in the future. She couldn’t see herself dating an eighteen year old at the age she was now—let alone eighteen or twenty years down the road. She would feel like a cradle-robber and besides, it wouldn’t be right to tie him to her when he was so young and she was…well, not anymore.

She leaned into his embrace instead and repeated, “I love you.”

“Kallana,” he whispered and the choked sound of his voice made her think he might be close to crying, though she could hardly imagine such a thing. But when she put a hand to her face, she found that she was crying herself.

What was going on with the both of them? Why after days of dancing around each other had they finally admitted their true emotions? And why were their feelings so close to the surface? Every minute she sat in this weird sauna she felt more and more emotional—closer to losing it entirely when she thought about leaving Shad and never seeing him again. Or at least, not recognizing him and what he meant to her when she did see him.

She became aware that the room was no longer pitch black. Instead, a dull red glow had begun to suffuse the enclosed space. Harper couldn’t see where it was coming from and it didn’t really do much for visibility. All she could see were clouds of steam and the indistinct outlines of Shad’s big, naked form in the semi-darkness.

“It’s getting light in here, can…can you tell?” she whispered, but her words came out in a sob. “Oh, Shad…” Suddenly she was in his arms—in his lap—and he was holding her close. Both of them were slippery and tears were streaming down Harper’s cheeks. She felt the big Kindred’s shoulders shake and knew that he was crying too.

“Harper…Kallana…” He held her to him tightly and they cried in each others’ arms—weeping for the pain of their impending loss, knowing there was nothing they could do about it…

“I love you,” she whispered. “I guess I always have, I just didn’t know it.”

“You are my heart.” He pressed his face to her neck and Harper felt him inhale, as though he was trying to breathe in her fragrance and imprint it on his memory forever. “I don’t want to let you go. I don’t want to lose you.”

Harper didn’t know how long it lasted. Long enough for both of them to cry themselves out, she supposed. Shad finished before she did and simply held her while she sobbed. He stroked her shoulders and back and whispered soothingly in her ear until a feeling of calm despair came over her, replacing the raging emotions that had torn through her.

“Oh,” she whispered hopelessly. “Oh, Shad. I guess there’s nothing we can do, is there?”

“Nothing,” he rumbled. “Nothing but go on. I’m sorry, Harper.”

“It’s all right,” she said softly.

She thought of the Earth in his future world—of how ravaged and dark and broken it was with the Hive in control and the people—what few there were left—in hiding. Everything was a mess in that time line—and only going forward and finishing their quest, getting to the end of the loop, as Shad said—would fix it.

“This is the way things have to be,” she murmured. “Not just for your people—for mine too.”

“Yes.” He sighed heavily in agreement. “Yes, this is the way things have to be.”

Suddenly Harper heard a ding which sounded almost like an oven timer going off. Then the red light suffusing the room turned blue, bathing the room in cool, eerie shadows. There was a metallic click and the bathing attendant’s voice came over the intercom.

“Emotional purging complete. Sequence is over.”

Then the door creaked open, revealing a sliver of light from the hallway outside.

“You can come out now,” the owlish attendant said. “It’s time for your shower before you can enter the Cleansing Waters.”

“Wait a minute…” Harper cleared her throat, which was sore from crying. “Did you just…manipulate our emotions in there?”

“It is necessary to purge all strong emotions before you see the Goddess,” the attendant explained patiently. “The sensory steam enables intense and troubling feelings to come to the surface so that you can feel them consciously and work through them. In this way you are cleansed of emotional impurities.”

Harper thought she ought to be angry at the way she’d been manipulated but when she thought about it, she was kind of glad, in a way. She might not have admitted out loud how much she loved Shad or how she dreaded to lose him if they hadn’t gone into the steam-room/emotional-pressure-cooker together. It had hurt to feel all that—but it was good to have it out in the open too. Casting a side-long glance at the big Kindred, she wondered if he felt the same way.

Shad’s chiseled features were stoic now, but she couldn’t help noticing that his eyes were red-rimmed, proving that she hadn’t imagined his tears. When he saw her looking, he simply took her hand and squeezed it.

“This way,” said the attendant, and they followed her down the echoing hallway again.

Chapter Sixteen

Shad was dreading the shower—if it was anything like that damn emotional stream room it would be hard to bear. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d allowed himself to cry—it simply wasn’t something he did easily.

Through all the attempts he’d made to keep Harper alive and get her changed so the Hive couldn’t use her and all the times he’d lost her, he had gone past the stages of grief that called for weeping. Instead, he had sunk into a kind of despair, though he was doggedly determined not to quit until he had either accomplished his mission or the looper in his arm lost all power.

Now that they had gone further on this new path than they’d gotten on any of the others, he began to feel an emotion that was almost alien—hope. But hope for what? For changing the future, yes. But any change they made would mean losing each other.

I’ll find her, though, Shad told himself. The minute I get back to my own time, I’ll find her.

Though he wasn’t exactly sure what age he would be when he did return. Would he go back to the very point in time when the Mother Ship was first blown up by the Hive? Or would he return to a later time and be the age he was now but with everything changed around him?

He had no answers and before he could ponder further, they finally came to the shower, which was housed in a large, glassed-in area studded with multiple water jets.

As it turned out, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the emotion sauna—if you didn’t mind icy cold water spraying you from all directions, that was.

“Oh! Ah!” Harper gasped, dancing from foot to foot in the freezing jets that pummeled them from all directions. “Does it have to be this cold?”

“The last vestiges of impurity must be washed from you before you enter the Cleansing Waters,” the bathing attendant intoned.

Shad wondered what in the Seven Hells the Cleansing Waters were for if they were supposedly already clean by the time they got to them. But before he could ask, the attendant finally turned off the jets and they were able to step out of the large, glassed-in stall they had been in.

“Please dry yourselves thoroughly.” The attendant gave them deep crimson towels which sucked thirstily at the moisture on their skin.

Shad recognized them as another kind of semi-sentient creature which lived off the water droplets it could glean from the skin of its hosts, but he chose not to say anything to Harper about it. She was still getting used to her cloak of thorns and her humlock—she didn’t need another living thing to care for.

At last, when they were perfectly dry, the attendant led them down a short, narrow corridor which opened out into a vast, echoing space, almost as big as the Docking Bay of the Mother Ship.

“Wow,” Harper breathed beside him and Shad couldn’t help but share her awe.

The Cleansing Pool was much bigger than any pool he had ever heard of or seen before. It filled the cavernous hall like a vast, underground lake but its size wasn’t the only noteworthy thing about it.

“Every color—it’s got every color I’ve ever seen in it and some I don’t even have a name for,” Harper murmured. “It looks like someone took the big box of crayons and melted it down layer by layer.”

To Shad it looked somewhat ominous, shading as it did from white and pale yellow at the end closest to them to indigo blue and coal black at the far end. The layers in the middle of the pool were all shades in between, as though someone had straightened out a rainbow and laid it in orderly rows that stretched on almost forever.

“How deep does it get?” he asked the bathing attendant. “Is it water or something thicker? Can you swim in it?”

“These are the Cleansing Waters—sometimes also called the Cleansing Slime,” the attendant replied, somewhat ambiguously. “A supplicant who wishes to see the Goddess must wade through it’s layers, stripping away the very last of his or her impurities, leaving him or her in their purest form for the pleasure of She Who Alters.”

“Wait—Cleansing Slime?” Harper objected. “That’s awful. And I thought we already got rid of all our impurities. You just said that freezing cold shower we took would get rid of the last of them, didn’t you?”

She didn’t look too happy about the idea of wading through the vast, multicolored pool and to be honest, Shad wasn’t very happy to let her do it. He didn’t like the idea of Harper submerged in such a substance and he also didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t see below the multicolored surface to see if anything might be lurking in its lurid depths.

“You have stripped away your outer pollutants,” the attendant corrected her. “The cleansing pool will refine you further and cleanse you completely before you go into the light of She Who Alters. It will also bring your true intentions to the surface so that the Goddess may read you more easily and change what needs to be changed.”

“Will…will it hurt?” Harper asked.

“Some have complained that it stings or burns the skin.” The attendant spoke casually, as though this was no big deal. “But others feel hardly any pain. It depends on how impure you are to start with.”

Now Harper really looked unhappy.

“So it’s a skin irritant and you want me to wade in there naked? Can I at least have some kind of a swim suit or something?”

“Forgive me, Empress, but we are all naked before the Goddess,” the attendant said primly. “I am afraid you will not be welcomed into her presence until after your skin is coated in the cleansing slime and your true intentions are brought to the surface. She Who Alters cannot help you otherwise.”

“Fine,” Shad growled. “But if my Empress goes into that multicolored slime pool, I’m going with her.”

But this time the bathing attendant was absolutely adamant.

“No—I am sorry.” She shook her head firmly. “I know you were permitted to go into the sauna and the shower with your mistress but it is absolutely against the rules for anyone but the supplicant to the Goddess to enter the Cleansing Slime.”

Shad tried reminding her again how much they had paid and Harper pointed out that the attendant had been told they should be given whatever they wanted but this was apparently the place where the owlish attendant drew the line.

“You don’t understand,” she said, peering earnestly at Harper with her wide, unblinking yellow eyes. “Allowing a non-supplicant into the Cleansing Pool might cloud the understanding of She Who Alters and interfere in the altering process.”

Shad frowned. “How can you be sure of that? Has it happened before?”

“Well, not in my lifetime but—” the attendant began but Harper interrupted her.

“It’s all right, I can do it alone.” She stopped Shad with a look when he started to protest. “It’s okay, Shad. I’m a big girl—I can wade across a pool of melted crayon slime by myself.”

“You don’t know what might be in there,” Shad pointed out, scowling. “Or what might happen. This is a huge pool, Harper. I don’t like the idea of you going in alone.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like we have much choice.” She sighed. “It’s okay—you can walk along the side of the pool as I wade through it. We’ll get to the other side at the same time.”

Shad tried to change her mind—he wanted to call the social secretary and challenge the rules, which seemed to be extremely arbitrary to him. But he could tell he wasn’t getting through. The bathing attendant wouldn’t budge and Harper just wanted to get this over with.

At last, he grudgingly agreed to her plan that he would walk along the side of the pool while she waded through the multicolored muck. But he swore to himself he would keep a close eye on her.

They had come too far for him to let down his guard now.

* * * * *

Harper sighed in relief when the big Kindred finally agreed to let her wade through the Cleansing Slime by herself. Not that she wanted to go alone into the melted-crayon-looking muck but it was time to move forward and get this over with, she told herself. It was hard enough to get her courage up to go into the strange pool in the first place without having to keep herself geared up for it indefinitely.

It won’t be so bad once I get in, she thought, hoping she was right. It’s probably nice and warm. Or warmer than the shower, anyway, she hoped. She would die of hypothermia if she had to wade through the huge pool and the slime was as icy as the needle sharp spray they’d just been pelted with.

“You never told me how deep it is,” she reminded the bathing attendant who was waiting on the steps which led down to the vast pool.

“It is never deeper than you can tread, my Empress.” The attendant bowed her head and swept an arm towards the pool. “Behold—it is your way to She Who Alters. Once you have passed through the slime and reached the other side, you will be instantly transported into the presence of the Goddess.”

“Okay,” Harper said uncomfortably. “And that’s where I ask her to change me?”

“It is unnecessary to make any request out loud. She Who Alters will divine your needs the moment you are in her presence and will alter the one thing about you which needs most to be fixed,” the attendant explained.

“She will? How will I know she’s done it?” Harper asked.

“You will feel her power within you.” The bathing attendant got an almost rapturous expression on her round face. “It is immense and all-encompassing. It is a good thing she can see your problem without need for your explanation, as you will be struck dumb by her glory,” she added helpfully.

“Um…okay,” Harper nodded.

I guess that’s why it’s so important to fulfill all physical needs and strip away all the unnecessary stuff before you see her, she thought. If you don’t even get to ask for what you want.

“And what happens after the, uh, Goddess alters me?” she asked.

“Then she will send you back to where you belong. Do not worry—your clothing and items of value will be sent with you,” the attendant added quickly, as though she got asked this question a lot.

“All right. Thank you.” Harper nodded but she was still uncertain. She assumed that She Who Alters would send her directly back to the golden space yacht since that was where she belonged. But would she even get there? Wouldn’t she be transported back to the beach on Earth with no memory of Shad or her adventures with him the minute she was no longer a ten’sora and the past was altered? She wished she knew for sure. But since there was no way to be certain of anything, all she could do was get started.

Still, if she was going to be transported immediately into the presence of She Who Alters the minute she reached the deep end (or would that be the dark end?) of the pool, and from there most probably back to the beach where all this had started, it meant this was the end of her adventure.

Which meant…

She looked at Shad. “I…I guess it’s time to say, uh, goodbye.” The words stuck in her throat but somehow she forced them out.

“Kallana…” He took her in his arms but what more was there to say that hadn’t been said in the steam room?

“I love you,” Harper whispered, clinging fiercely to him, her bare breasts pressed against his hard chest, her arms around his neck as she stood on tiptoe to reach him.

“I’ll find you,” he muttered hoarsely into her neck. “I swear by the Mother of All Life, I will find you, Harper. No matter how long it takes.”

Harper wished she could promise to wait for him but if she had no memory of him after they reached the end of the loop, how could she? Instead she kissed him passionately with tears in her eyes and pressed herself against him, wishing this moment never had to end.

Eventually, though, the bathing attendant cleared her throat tactfully.

“Forgive me, Empress, but the Cleansing Slime is ready to receive you now.”

They clung together a moment longer and then, reluctantly, Harper untwined her arms from around the big Kindred’s neck. She could almost feel him struggling internally with himself but finally, Shad let her go.

“Be well, Harper. Until we meet again,” he said, almost formally.

“I’m not gone yet,” she reminded him. “You still have to walk beside me, on the side of the pool while I wade through the slime.”

“I’ll be with you every step of the way,” he promised.

“I know you will.”

Blinking back the tears which made her eyes blur and her throat tight, Harper turned back to the owlish bathing attendant.

“All right,” she said thickly. “I…I’m ready.”

“Very good.” The bathing attendant nodded. “Then proceed down the steps and into the Cleansing Slime, Empress. A word of caution, however…” She held up a long, skinny finger which seemed to have too many joints to make her point. “You must go straight down the center of the pool. Do not allow your feet to leave the path or The Watchers will be most upset.”

“The Watchers?” Harper asked. “Who are they? And what path? How am I supposed to see a path through all that?” She gestured at the vast pool filled with opaque bands of color in graduating shades. It really did look like someone had melted down crayons of every color to fill the pool.

“The path is easy to find—it is smooth while the rest of the bottom of the Cleansing Pool is rough,” the bathing attendant told her. Your feet will find the way and as long as you stay on the smooth path directly through the center of the pool, you need not worry about The Watchers.”

“She shouldn’t have to worry about them? What does that mean? What are they?” Shad demanded. His voice was a low, protective growl and Harper could see that if she didn’t get started, they were going to have an argument with the bathing attendant about exactly what she meant and who the unseen Watchers were.

Part of her wanted to seize this opportunity to delay and procrastinate. To put off the inevitable moment of ending and leave-taking. But she didn’t think she had the courage to go through the emotional ringer she’d just been through with Shad again.

So without waiting for any further words, she went down the steps and put her foot into the multicolored slime.

It wasn’t bad—wasn’t cold at least, Harper thought as she stepped into the white and pale yellow slime up to her ankles. She felt with her toes before she went any further, making certain she could tell where the path the attendant had spoken of was.

Sure enough, it was right in front of her, about a foot wide on either side and as slippery as glass—she would have to be careful. When she felt cautiously with her toes, she found that the smooth glass-like surface became bumpy and rough—like sandpaper—on either side of the path. So that was the part to avoid—well, she could do that easily enough.

Taking a deep breath, Harper stepped forward and began wading deeper into the slime.

As she walked, she saw Shad pacing alongside her, walking at the edge of the pool. He said nothing but his opalescent eyes were trained anxiously on her. Clearly he was still worried for her safety.

Harper gave him the thumbs up sign to let him know she was all right. The pool was so wide that it was too far to talk to him unless she shouted and she didn’t like the idea of her words echoing in this vast place.

She looked down as she walked, watching the trail she made in the slime that marked her progress. Behind her the bands of orderly, horizontal color resumed their straight lines almost as soon as she had passed.

The slime was neither hot nor cold but exactly the same temperature as her body. For some reason, this was a disconcerting sensation—it seemed to make it harder to feel the positions of her hands and feet, especially as the slime got deeper, which it did gradually but steadily. Still, Harper told herself, it was better than if the stuff had been freezing cold or boiling hot.

You’ll be fine—you can do this, she thought, giving herself a little mental pep talk. Anyway, who cares what temperature the stuff is? What did you expect anyway—it’s freaking slime.

By the time she had traversed the first half of the pool, the pale, pastel colors at the shallow end had been replaced by vivid jewel tones and she was up to her waist in the stuff. She had thought it looked like melted wax and in fact, it felt like wax too, against her skin. That was good because it wasn’t quite as slimy as she’d feared but it was still very heavy and thick—the farther she walked, the more difficult movement became. Every step was like moving through glue.

The consistency of the multicolored slime made Harper think uneasily of the LaBrea Tar Pits, which she’d visited once as a child on a family trip to California. Thousands of Ice Age animals had become stuck in the pits, mostly predators, which were drawn by prey who got mired in the muck and couldn’t get out again.

The pool’s similarity to the tar pits became especially strong as she got closer to the deep end, where the colors became darker and darker until at last, the very end was pitch black. Harper didn’t like the idea of going through that inky blackness, especially as the slime was getting deeper and deeper. Indeed, she was up to her neck and movement was becoming increasingly difficult—almost impossible.

I don’t like this, she thought, struggling to control the panic that nibbled at the edges of her mind as she fought to go forward through the incredibly thick slime. The attendant said it wouldn’t go higher than I could tread but I don’t think that’s right. How am I ever going to get all the way to the deep end without going in over my head?

It didn’t seem possible since with every inch forward she went, the slick bottom of the pool seemed to slope down just a little more. Harper began to get a claustrophobic sensation. The melted wax or slime or whatever it was felt too close around her—too heavy for her to really expand her lungs and get a good, deep breath.

Take it easy, she tried to tell herself. The end is only five or six feet away. You can do this—you’re all right.

But she was on her tiptoes now and the slime was up to her chin and jaw. How could she possibly get to the end?

I’ll have to try and swim, she thought desperately. It’s the only way I can do it and the only other option is going back.

Honestly, that option sounded the most appealing but Harper knew she couldn’t go back now. She couldn’t give up her quest after all the crazy things she’d been through just because she didn’t feel like she could get through five measly feet of slime—it was unacceptable.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her arms and legs and began to kick and move her arms, just as she would if she was trying to tread water.

Harper was a strong swimmer—she’d lived all her life in Florida, land of a million backyard pools, and her mother had made sure she could swim almost before she could walk. But she found out quickly that the thick, syrupy Cleansing Slime was almost impossible to swim in. She began to tire almost at once from the incredible resistance against her arms and legs—it was like trying to swim through wet cement with weights tied to all her limbs.

But by the time she realized the stuff was too thick to swim in properly, it was too late—she was sinking and this time she really was in over her head.

She kicked frantically, trying to find purchase on the slick bottom with her toes, only to find that the bottom of the pool was now rough and sharp—more like broken glass than sandpaper.

Ouch! Crap—I’m off the path, she thought but at the moment, the path didn’t seem to matter too much because she was almost certain she was going to drown.

“Harper? Harper!” It was Shad, kneeling at the very end of the pool, reaching for her. He must have seen her struggles and come running around from the side, she thought faintly. His white eyes were blazing with concern and Harper was feeling panicked herself. “Grab my hand!” he shouted, reaching for her.

“Shad!” she gasped, lifting an arm above the waxy slime for just a moment, trying to grab his outstretched hand. The crayon colors ran down her skin in colorful drips and swirls but ahead there was only darkness. “Shad, I can’t—”

Just then something seized her by the ankle and yanked her under.

Chapter Seventeen

“Harper? Goddess-damn it!” Shad had seen the panicked look in her eyes but he didn’t think she’d slipped. She’d gone under too quickly for that—she must have been pulled.

“Do not allow your feet to leave the path or The Watchers will be most upset.”

The bathing attendant’s words echoed in his head even as Shad jumped into the pool. Was that what had happened to Harper? Had she gotten off the path and something had grabbed her?

“Harper? Where are you?” he shouted, feeling around in the tarry muck at the end of the pool. Since he was much taller than her, the stuff wasn’t quite up to his shoulders but it was incredibly sludgy and hard to move in.

The bottom felt slick at first under his bare feet but then it quickly grew rough and jagged as he waded to where Harper had disappeared. Shad didn’t give a damn. Even though it hurt like Hell, he plowed ahead, feeling blindly in the slime, trying to find Harper.

How long had she been under by now? Half a minute? A whole minute? Two? How long could she hold her breath? Shad knew she was a strong swimmer but moving through the slime was like trying to move in tar or glue. The resistance against his limbs was relentless.

Dimly he was aware that the bathing attendant was standing at the foot of the pool shouting something and waving her arms frantically. He thought she was telling him he had to get out.

“You must not be in the pool at the same time as the Empress! You will confuse the Goddess! You must get out—get out now!” she shouted.

“Fuck you!” he shouted back at her. “Where is she? I have to find her! Where’s Harper?”

Suddenly something that felt like a hand—maybe a webbed hand—grabbed him by the ankle and tugged.

If Shad had been any shorter, he might have been pulled off balance and dragged under, as Harper had been. He remained upright, however and was able to pull his ankle out of the thing’s (the watcher’s?) grasp and kick out at it instead of going under.

His foot connected with something and no more hands grabbed at him but Shad was beginning to feel frantic. It must have been three minutes Harper had been under by now and he couldn’t find her.

She was going to die and this time he really wouldn’t ever see her again. The looper was out of power and they would never reach the end of the current loop now. Hadn’t he told her that the past resisted being changed? He never should have let her get into this slime-pit of a pool by herself! This path had been so free of troubles—well, relatively free compared to others—that he’d become complacent, believing that all he had to do was trust to see her to the end.

Stupid! Shad told himself savagely. You’re so fucking stupid! What’s wrong with you, letting her go alone? Now you’re going to lose her forever without even the chance of finding her at the other end of the loop when you’re too young for her.

“Harper,” he cried in fear and frustration, still feeling for her with great sweeps of his arms. “Oh Goddess, where is she?”

Then he heard the voice of the Goddess—not She Who Alters but The Mother of All Life, the Kindred Goddess whom he had known so well as a child. She had spoken to him often back then but her voice had faded as he grew. Now it came to him clearly once more.

“Be still, warrior. Be still and watch for a moment.”

It was the hardest thing he’d ever done but Shad forced himself to be still. Ignoring the shouts of the bathing attendant, he watched the surface of the slime which was perfectly flat and calm now that he’d stopped moving. Ripples didn’t carry very far in such a thick surface.

And speaking of ripples—there—right there, by a band of crimson red. Was there a faint ripple? And a bubble rising to the surface?

“Harper!” he roared and surged forward, reaching for her.

This time he caught something—something long and slick and rope-like which nearly slipped out of his hand. Shad tightened his fist, wrapping the slick stuff around his forearm and pulled as hard as he could.

Harper broke the surface gasping for air, blinded by the colored slime which coated her face. It was her hair, which had come down out of the elaborate twist she’d put it up in, that Shad had in his fist.

As soon as he could he got untangled from it and pulled her into his arms.

“Sweetheart—Kallana…” He looked at her anxiously. She was taking deep, heaving breaths as though she couldn’t get enough air and every inch of her was dripping with the multicolored, waxy slime.

“Sh-shad?” she managed to gasp at last. “Oh thank God! They…they grabbed me and they wouldn’t let me go!”

“Who grabbed you?” Shad asked. “Fucking Watchers I guess,” he answered his own question when she shook her head. As he spoke, he felt soft, webbed fingers trying to wrap their way around one ankle again.

With a low curse, he drew back and kicked out, jostling Harper, who cried out weakly.

“Come on, sweetheart—we’re getting the Seven Hells out of here,” he growled.

As he waded towards the deep end of the pool where the color was as black as coal, he became aware that the bathing attendant was still shouting.

“Get out! You have to get out! Two cannot be in the Cleansing Pool at once—it is blasphemy! The Slime has been defiled. You have to get out!” she shrieked, dancing around the edge of the pool in agitation. Her large, yellow eyes blinked continuously as she shouted and begged and gestured for them to leave the pool.

“All right, all right,” Shad growled angrily. “We’re going as fast as we fucking can.”

“No, no—you cannot get out at the same time,” the girl exclaimed. “You must get out first and leave the Empress in the pool. She is the supplicant—only she must remain to be taken by the Goddess!”

“Leave her in here so she can get grabbed by those Watcher things again? I don’t fucking think so,” Shad snarled. “I’m bringing her to the edge and we’ll get out together.”

“You cannot! You must not!” the attendant protested, as he finally reached the far edge of the pool. “If you do—”

But her words were cut off by a low humming sound which grew suddenly so loud Shad couldn’t hear anything else. At the same time, the lights in the vast pool area became blindingly bright.

Shad winced at the sudden brilliance and noise and tightened his grip on Harper. She was slippery in his arms,still covered in waxy slime, but he was damned if he’d let her go again. She—

Everything faded away. The vast pool, the shouting, dancing attendant, the multicolored slime…all of it was replaced by a soft, penetrating golden glow that seemed to come from all directions at once.

Shad looked down at himself. Somehow he was no longer holding Harper—instead she was standing beside him, holding his hand and breathing easy. They were naked and clean—perfectly clean, both of them. Every trace of the colorful slime that had coated their skin only seconds before was gone. It was even gone from Harper’s long hair which now fell in thick, shiny curls around her shoulders.

“Harper? Baby?” Shad looked at her, wondering how all this had happened. Where was the pool and the attendant and the slime? Where had he and Harper ended up? But all of those questions were secondary to finding out if she was all right. “Are you okay?” Shad asked her.

“I…I think I am.” She put a hand to her chest, right between her breasts, as though feeling for her heart. “But for a minute I thought I was drowning. The slime was so thick and I couldn’t breathe…”

She shivered and he put an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close.

“I know, baby, but it’s over now. We’re safe.”

But were they? His thoughts came full circle again—where were they? Was there some new threat to Harper in this strange, softly glowing golden bubble they somehow found themselves in?

Shad looked around alertly, ready to fight anyone or anything that tried to hurt the woman he loved. If anyone tried anything he would kill them with his bare hands! He wouldn’t lose Harper again, Goddess damn it!

“Greetings, travelers.”

The low, feminine voice was filled with power and seemed to come from everywhere at once. It reminded Shad of the voice of the Kindred Goddess, the Mother of All Life, but somehow it was different—clearly a different deity although how he knew he could not have told.

“I perceive that you are most protective of your female,” the voice of She Who Alters—for it must be her—continued, speaking to Shad. “So protective that you refuse to leave her behind, even when you come before me. Though it is well known that I usually receive only one supplicant at a time.”

Shad tried to explain…and found that he couldn’t. Now, in the presence of the Goddess, his throat had somehow locked closed. He tried again, attempting to force words out but not a single sound emerged. Suddenly, he remembered something the bathing attendant had said—“Being in her glory will strike you dumb.”

At the time she’d told Harper that, he’d been certain she was speaking figuratively because of the awe she plainly felt for the deity. But now it occurred to him that he really couldn’t speak—which meant he was unable to explain that he was not the supplicant.

He looked frantically at Harper and tapped his throat. She opened her mouth to reply but no sound came out. Frowning, she shook her head.

Shad ground his teeth together silently. Goddess damn it—what were they going to do?

“Shadow Twin.” She Who Alters spoke again in that deep, rolling voice which came from every corner of the room and somehow from inside him as well. “One who is always alone—unable even to bond the female you love to you. Yes, I see the problem now.”

NO! Shad wanted to shout. No, that’s not the problem we need to have fixed! I’m not even the right supplicant! Dimly he remembered the bathing attendant also saying that having more than one supplicant before the Goddess at once could mess up She Who Alters’s perception of what needed to be changed. Was that what was happening here?

Desperately, he tried again—thinking to her as hard as he could.

Please, I am not the supplicant—Harper is. She needs to be changed—she is a ten’sora—one sought by the evil Hive in order to swell their ranks and breed an army to overtake her home planet and destroy my people. Please, listen to me—change Harper. CHANGE HARPER!

But She Who Alters didn’t seem capable of hearing thoughts and prayers the way the Kindred Goddess, the Mother of All life was. When she spoke again, it was still to Shad.

“I will cure this deformity inside you, Shadow Twin,” the deep voice murmured. You will never be alone again for now you shall be able to form a bond with your female the way the rest of your people can. In fact, I perceive that you and your female have drunk deeply of each other before coming to me—so the bond has already begun. You need only to seal it to be together for the rest of your lives.”

“No…NO!” Shad wanted to shout, but of course his voice was still locked. At that moment, he felt something shift inside him. Some deep hole inside him—a gaping chasm which had been with him all his life—was suddenly filled. For the first time he felt…whole.

Harper was part of that wholeness. As the Goddess had said, he could feel the beginnings of a bond with her. Through it he felt her uncertainty about what was happening and her worry that things were going wrong—the same emotions he himself was experiencing. He also felt her love for him—a feeling so strong it suffused him with light.

It was such a wonderful sensation he nearly forgot to be upset again. But then he realized afresh what had happened.

He had finally gotten Harper through to the end of the line—to a Goddess who could cure the ten’sora property within her and change the history of his people and hers.

But after all the trouble and toil and doubt and pain and tears, She Who Alters had fixed the wrong person—the wrong thing.

They had failed. It was their last chance and they had failed.

“Goddess!” he screamed at her in his head. “Goddess, please no! Please!”

But it was too late.

“Farewell,” the voice of She Who Alters murmured. “I return you to your original origins.”

The deep humming sound began again and the bubble of light around them grew so brilliant Shad had to squeeze his eyes closed or be blinded.

Everything disappeared and he knew he had failed.

And this time, there was no second chance.

Chapter Eighteen

Sovereign X’izith stared into the green E’lo seer stone in perplexity.

“What just happened?” he demanded of the sentient scholar-worker who was standing, buzzing quietly, at his left shoulder.

“I beg your pardon, my Sovereign?” The scholar groomed its antennae nervously. “Is there a problem? Our plan is right on target. The scout has stung the host and injected the mind-altering serum. Even now the host is on his way, bringing the transport stone to the girl.”

“She…flickered for an instant.” X’izith frowned, a strange expression on his insectile, alien face. “It was almost as though she disappeared and then reappeared in the same spot before my very eyes…eye,” he amended ruefully, rubbing at the empty socket where his second compound eye had once been.

“She appears to be there now,” the scholar-worker pointed out.

“Yes, but does she look…different to you?” X’izith peered closely at the green stone. “Is she somehow altered? Her clothing perhaps?”

“Forgive me, my Sovereign, but the nuances of the strange cloths the Earthling’s use to cover their skin escape me.” The scholar bowed obsequiously.

“It doesn’t feel right,” X’izith announced. “Have the host hurry.”

“But I thought we agreed that a more casual approach was more likely to succeed,” the scholar protested.

“I have changed my mind,” X’izith snapped. “Have him hurry. Use force if necessary but be certain the transport stone makes contact with her skin!”

“Yes, my Sovereign!” The scholar-worker bowed and relayed the message to another sentient worker, who was controlling the host. Then he turned back to X’izith. “You know, my Sovereign, if for some unforeseen reason this plan does not…ahem…come to fruition, there is always the other option we talked about.”

“No!” Sovereign X’izith rounded on the scholar, clacking his mandibles angrily. “I do not even know why I allowed you to talk me into putting that option in place. A hybrid being cannot lead the Hive or be certain that it thrives and grows as the Nameless Ones intend. It is a sacrilege—a blasphemy!”

“Better a hybrid made from your own DNA should lead than that the Hive should die out completely,” the scholar argued, grooming his antennae furiously. “The egg is in the gestation tube—it does not even need a human host to come to maturity. One word from you, my Sovereign—”

“That word will never come.” X’izith’s voice was cold with fury. “The day when I allow a hybrid to be named my successor—”

“My lord, my lord!” the worker controlling the host buzzed excitedly. “The host is on the way and he caries the stone. We must be ready to receive the human girl—he is moving fast!”

“You see? Here she comes—my plan will come to fruition.” X’izith rubbed two of his long, chitinous claws together eagerly. “Soon I will be planting the royal grubs in her belly!”

Chapter Nineteen

Harper blinked as the brilliance around her faded. She was sitting on the sand at the beach on a slightly chilly day, observing the ocean. Her head ached dizzily, as though she’d just been on an extended ride on the tilt-a-whirl at the State Fair and her stomach felt queasy.

Where am I? What’s going on?

There was something nagging at the corner of her mind—something important had just happened to her. But what?

I came to the beach to do my New Year’s Resolution thing and get out of Mom’s house for a while and then I…

A chilly breeze whipped over the sandy beach. It struck Harper in the face and chest like a slap, making her shiver as her nipples tightened with cold.

Wait…her nipples?

She looked down at herself and was horrified to see she was wearing some kind of garment that seemed to consist entirely of long, green fringes. Her bare breasts were poking out of it, her nipples hardened by the cold wind.

“Oh my God!” Harper gasped. She tried to pull her cardigan closed around the strange, revealing garment only to find that the fabric she was clutching was a far cry from the short-sleeved sweater she had put on that morning.

Around her shoulders was a cloak made of long, rainbow colored spikes—they kind of looked like they came from a porcupine. Maybe a porcupine participating in a Pride parade…

The cloak of thorns, whispered a voice in her brain. The royal fabric.

Wait…what? Harper shook her head as visions suddenly filled her mind.

We were in the Thieves' Market…I touched it and it imprinted on me…the merchant chased me down the street demanding that I buy it.

What were these memories filling her head, flooding in like water filling a pitcher? Faster and faster they came…she saw a desolate Earth, destroyed and polluted… a huge golden space yacht…a flying snake…

What had happened to her? Where was all this coming from?

Suddenly she heard someone calling her name.

Looking up, she saw a man in a black leather vest and trousers running towards her over the sand. He was still far off but she could make out his coal-black hair and blazing white eyes. He looked so familiar…

Shad, whispered a voice in her head. It’s Shad—you love him.

Suddenly everything fell into place, like pieces of a puzzle finally clicking together. Harper remembered everything.

We were together in the presence of She Who Alters and she…she changed Shad, not me. I’m still a ten’sora. But then why are we back here again? Isn’t this the beginning of the loop, where Shad first found me? But I didn’t forget him—I remember everything. What’s going on?

“Shad!” she exclaimed, standing and turning to him. “Oh my God, Shad! What are we doing back here? What’s going on?”

The big Kindred didn’t answer. He was shouting and pointing…pointing behind her.

“Harper—the mind-slave! Watch out—he’s got the stone! Run—run!”

Abruptly, Harper remembered the nice lifeguard-looking guy and the purple M&M he’d tried to give her on this very same beach at this very same spot where Shad had found her what seemed like a hundred years ago.

She turned her head to see the very same man almost right behind her. He was running at her, just as Shad was, but he was so much closer. His bare feet made no sound on the sand, giving her no warning.

“Don’t let him touch you with it!” Shad shouted and she knew he was talking about the transport stone she could see sparkling like an amethyst between the lifeguard guy’s fingers.

Adrenaline spiked in her and Harper’s heart was suddenly beating right between her teeth.

Oh my God, have to get out of here now!

Belatedly, she started to run but her feet got tangled—either in the long fringes of her gown or the folds of the rainbow cloak, she wasn’t sure which. Either way the result was the same—she tripped and fell face first onto the powdery sand.

“Oof!” she gasped as the wind was knocked out of her.

“No!” she heard Shad roaring. “You touch her and you’re fucking dead! Dead!”

Harper tried to scramble to her feet but just then a strong, rough hand caught her by the ankle and pulled off her shoe. Then something that felt like a piece of ice—something so cold it burned—pressed against the sole of her bare foot.

Harper started to scream but the sound never left her lips. For the second time in as many minutes, the world around her faded and she found herself being whirled through nothingness to destinations unknown.

Chapter Twenty

Shad punched the bastard out, as he had so many times before. He wanted to beat the mind-slave bloody, but he knew it wouldn’t do any damn good. Harper had been taken by the Hive and he had to get to her. But how?

He looked around and down at himself. He was dressed as he had been while he was playing her bodyguard in black leather trousers and a matching vest and boots. But his ship was nowhere to be found.

Of course it’s nowhere to be found, idiot, he berated himself. It’s still in my future—the future where the Hive has taken over and this is clearly my past and Harper’s present. She Who Alters sent us back to the beginning of the loop.

Or had she?

Shad looked down at the looper embedded under the skin of his forearm. It was completely dead without even the slightest flicker of light. The meaning of this began to dawn on him and two things became clear: One, She Who Alters hadn’t sent them back to the beginning of the loop because there was no longer any loop. She had simply sent them back to the time and place on Earth where he had first met Harper. And Two, with the looper permanently out of commission, he had no way to get his ship and go after Harper.

“I need help to get to her—help to rescue her,” he said out loud, running both hands through his hair.

And there was only one place to get it.

“No,” Shad muttered. “No, I can’t…I don’t fucking dare. The Time Warden said there could be dire consequences.”

But there was no help for it—there was nothing else he could do.

He would have to go to the Kindred Mother Ship and seek help to get to Mars and get Harper back before it was too late.

If it wasn’t already too late.

He rolled the unconscious mind-slave over and searched the pockets of his shorts for keys. He would have to take his vehicle to the HKR building and get a ride up to the ship from there. It was the only way.

* * * * *

“Commander Sylvan, forgive me for interrupting your work but there is a strange warrior here to see you,” a voice from his viewscreen said. It belonged to Communications Officer Zern, a Blood Kindred who also served as a kind of secretary to help keep his complicated schedule in order. Zern had a worried look in his pale blue eyes as he spoke. “He is…most agitated.”

Sylvan frowned. “What? Who is he? Do I know him?”

“He claims that he knows you,” Zern said. “And he says it is a matter of life and death and…” He cleared his throat. “The Hive.”

“The Hive?” The short hairs at the back of Sylvan’s neck began to prickle. The Kindred had been searching the Earth’s solar system for traces of the insectile race for months now but they had found nothing. Though he wished the Hive had gone back through the blind to where they had originally come from, Sylvan knew they hadn’t. Their home world was abandoned, so where had they gone?

“Should I show him in?” Zern asked. “He begged a ride from the Tampa HKR building up to the Mother Ship specifically to speak to you.”

“Yes, show him in.” Sylvan straightened up and pushed the work he’d been doing to one side of his orderly desk.

“There’s just one thing,” Zern said. “He…ahem…wants to be certain you’re alone. Specifically, he wants to make sure your Second Brothers Deep and Lock and their children are nowhere near your office before he comes in to see you.”

It seemed an extremely strange question but it was easy enough to answer.

“No,” Sylvan said. “Neither my Second Brothers or their children or their mate, Kat are here. I am alone.”

“All right.” Zern nodded. “I’m sending him in.”

The viewscreen went dark and after a long moment, there was a knock on Sylvan’s door.

“Come,” he called and the door panel slid to one side.

Standing in the doorway was a male of around seven feet with coal black hair and the strangest eyes Sylvan had ever seen—they were white but with shifting rainbow patterns in them. Right now those strange eyes seemed to burn in the warrior’s face as he stared at Sylvan, who moved uncomfortably in his office chair.

The male looked familiar somehow but Sylvan would have sworn he’d never seen him before in his life. Who was he?

“Uncle Sylvan,” the warrior rumbled, stepping in and making sure the door sealed shut behind him. “I shouldn’t be here but I have no choice.”

“I’m sorry…” Sylvan rose from behind his desk and came around to give the strange male a warrior’s clasp. “Do I know you?” He held out his hand and arm but the male recoiled from his touch.

“I don’t dare,” he said, taking a step back. “I was told it might cause a very bad reaction if I touched anyone from my past—especially people I was close to or my family. I shouldn’t even be in close proximity to you but as I said, I have no choice.”

“From your past?” Sylvan shook his head. “I don’t understand. And why did you call me ‘uncle’?”

“Because you are my uncle—my fathers are your Second Brothers. I’m Shad—Shadow, the son of Kat and Deep and Lock,” the male told him.

Sylvan frowned. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Shadow is a child, less than six cycles old. I just saw him this morning when I dropped my own two children off at the care center.”

“Kaleb and Kara,” the male who claimed to be Shadow said. “Yes, I know—I grew up playing with them. And with my brothers, War and Peace and my cousin Daniel who is the son of Baird and Olivia as well as Ziza, the daughter of Lauren and Xairn. We all grew up together. But in this time we’re all still children.”

“What do you mean, ‘in this time?’” Sylvan asked cautiously. He was beginning to wonder if he had a madman on his hands.

The male who claimed to be Shadow took a deep breath.

“I’m from the future,” he said in a low, even tone, as though he was hoping Sylvan wouldn’t “freak out,” as his mate Sophia was wont to say. “One possible future, I should say—a future I’m trying desperately to prevent. But it might already be too late.”

“From the future?” Sylvan couldn’t keep the skepticism out of his voice.

“Just listen,” the strange warrior pleaded. “Don’t judge my story until you hear it all. My future and yours depends on it.”

Though his claim was bizarre, his tone was even and he displayed no outward signs of insanity. Sylvan had seen and heard many strange things in his life, he reminded himself, and he’d learned not to discount something—no matter how odd it seemed—until he understood it thoroughly. Maybe this male wasn’t crazy after all. At any rate, he decided to at least give him a chance.

“All right,” he said, keeping his own voice steady and calm as well. “Prove it to me—my first instinct is to throw you out but I won’t if you can prove your story.”

“That’s just it—I don’t have any physical proof.” The male claiming to be Shadow sighed and raked a hand through his coal black hair. Of course the child Shad had white hair and big, black eyes but Sylvan knew that a Shadow Twin’s hair and eye coloring reversed at puberty. So that, at least, seemed to be authentic.

“Tell me something then,” he urged. “Make me believe you.”

“Gods, don’t you think I want to?” the male demanded. “Every moment I spend here trying to convince you is another moment that bastard X’izith has alone with Harper. Another moment he has to…to breed her.” His face contorted and he spat out the word as though it left a foul taste in his mouth. “She’s still a ten’sora so if he gets his fucking barb in her—”

“Wait—a ten’sora, you say?” Sylvan exclaimed. “How do you know that word? That information is classified—it was only recently brought to us through a secret mission on Yonnie Six.”

“I know because in the future—my future—Harper, who is a ten’sora, is taken by the Hive and used to breed an army of their fucking grubs.”

The words seem to hurt the male coming out—it was like he was ripping out his guts to speak them—but he went doggedly on anyway.

“Less than five years after they took her, they were strong enough and numerous enough to lay waste to this entire solar system. This—all of it—is gone.” He waved a hand to indicate everything around them. “They blew the Mother Ship out of the sky and overran the Earth in a matter of days.”

Sylvan shook his head at this bleak vision of the future.

“If that’s so, how did you survive? You must still have been a child at the time if your story is true.”

“We were on a field trip to Earth—to the Tampa Theater,” the male explained. “War and Peace and Kara and Kaleb and Ziza and myself and all the others of our age group—our whole class. We were there when the Mother Ship blew.”

“And you survived? A group of children?” Sylvan asked.

“We made the theater our base. Daniel became our leader and we formed the core of the Resistance and spent years of our lives fighting the invaders.” He sighed. “We looked out for each other, loved each other. War and Peace finally joined with Ziza but then she was taken by the Hive and…Oh Goddess.” He raked a hand through his hair again, his strange eyes filled with horrors Sylvan could only guess at.

“And what?” he urged gently.

“And War had to take care of her—had to shoot her. Infestation of a female by their fucking grubs is a death sentence. It was a mercy killing but War didn’t see it that way. He blamed himself—hated himself.” The warrior squeezed his strange white eyes tightly shut. “It was then that I cried out to the Goddess and she opened a door for me—a portal to the Time Warden. He gave me this looper.”

The male held out one arm and turned it over, showing a twisting whitish shape implanted under the skin there.

“A…looper?” Sylvan frowned and raised one eyebrow.

“It sets up a time loop which allows you to go back and try to change or fix one thing. But it’s dead now—out of juice. I can’t try again. Gods…”

“So… you’ve tried before?” Sylvan asked.

“So many times.” Shad—for Sylvan was beginning to believe it really was Shad now—looked up. His shifting eyes were dry and hard. “You know, it killed something in War and Peace when War did what he did, when he had to kill Ziza. They…sacrificed themselves making a diversion so I could get here. But if I can’t save Harper it will all be for nothing. All the deaths…all the struggle…all for nothing.” He raked a hand through his hair. “And Harper, I love her. Goddess help me, I love her so fucking much and I failed her. Failed her again and this time there’s no second chance…”

The torment in his eyes was more than Sylvan could bear.

“You haven’t failed,” he told Shad gently. “I believe you, Shadow.”

“You do?” A slight glimmer of hope dawned in those white, pearlescent eyes. “Thank the Goddess!”

“But I don’t understand—why did you never come to me before, if you’ve tried in the past…the future…” Sylvan shook his head. “I don’t know the right terminology. But why did you never come to warn us before?”

“I was told by the Time Warden that it was extremely dangerous for me to spend too much time in a timeline where I already am—where the younger me is alive at the same time as the older me,” Shad explained. “Being this close to my past self is wrong. The closer we are, the more likely something bad will happen.”

“What might happen?” Sylvan was intrigued but Shad shrugged uncertainly.

“The Time Warden wasn’t specific. He only said it was dangerous for me and that I should stay away—that’s why I avoided the Mother Ship and got back to my own timeline as quickly as possible every time I reached the start of the time loop.” He lifted both hands. “To be honest, I’m amazed that just being in the same room with you and on the same ship as my younger self hasn’t killed me.”

“You were willing to take the risk of dying to save your female,” Sylvan said. He admired the young warrior’s courage.

“I would rather die than fail her again,” Shad said simply. “But it wasn’t only for me that I tried to stay away from this timeline—Harper is extremely vulnerable here. This is her present and the past fights more strongly against being changed the closer you get to the deciding event.”

“Harper is the ten’sora female you love who we need to save,” Sylvan said.

Shad nodded. “She’s just been taken by the Hive—about an hour ago. I got here as fast as I could but still, she was transported instantaneously because X’izith used those damn E’lo stones to take her. The Goddess alone knows what he’s done to her by now.”

The male’s knowledge of the E’lo stones and ten’soras and all the Hive business including the name of their Sovereign further convinced Sylvan that he was telling the truth. How else could he get such knowledge? But it was more than that—there was an earnest air about this adult Shad that Sylvan knew well from speaking to the child Shad. He had examined the boy and run numerous tests on him at Kat’s insistence and he thought he knew him as well as any adult can know a child who isn’t his. Still, he wanted to make one more test…

“Forgive me, Shadow, but just for my own peace of mind…what was the name of your stuffed animal—the one Sophia and I gave you for Christmas last year? Or, I suppose it would be…” He tried to calculate, based on what he estimated Shad’s age to be. “I’m not sure how many cycles it was in your past,” he concluded at last.

“It was a stuffed vranna,” Shadow said. “You gave him to me when I was four cycles old. I named him ‘Snuffy—he was best friends with my friend Tsandor’s stuffed elephant, Lumpy.” He laughed self-consciously and then his eyes went hard again. “Tsandor was one of the first to fall. The Hive caught him in a fire-fight. He…was killed almost instantly.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Sylvan told him firmly. Now he was certain beyond the shadow of a doubt—no one else would know these intimate details of Shad’s childhood. Though many would not have been able to swallow the idea of time-travel and a desperate warrior from the future, Sylvan had seen strange things before in his service to the Goddess and the Kindred people. And he suspected this would not be either the strangest or the last—at least if they hurried.

“Thank you for believing me.” There was terse sincerity in Shad’s voice. “Now I need you to help me get Harper back.”

“I’ll do everything in my power,” Sylvan promised. “But where is she? We’ve been combing the solar system for the Hive for months and haven’t seen a trace of them.”

“That’s because they’ve gone to ground,” Shad said grimly. “They’re hiding on Mars—right under your nose.”

“Mars?” Sylvan raised his eyebrows. “So close? That’s brazen of them.”

“It’s a temporary base but buried deep under the mountains in the south pole of the planet,” Shad explained. “X’izith never planned to be there long. His plan has always been to conquer the Earth for its resources and females.”

“I’ll put together a squadron at once,” Sylvan promised. “You’ll ride with me and we’ll concentrate on getting to Harper.” He cocked his head. “Forgive me but…are you bonded to her? Do you have a mental link so that you can let her know we’re coming when we get within range?”

Shad shook his head. “Not a full link, no. But we have formed a partial bond. I know it because…” He winced. “Because I felt Harper’s fear as she was taken.”

“We’ll find her,” Sylvan promised. “As she is a ten’sora she will be too valuable for Sovereign X’izith to risk damaging her.”

“That gives me hope,” Shad admitted, nodding. “What worries me is what he might be doing to her right now. The idea of that bastard getting his breeding barb anywhere near her…”

Sylvan frowned in sympathy. “Understood.” Unthinking, he put a hand on the younger male’s shoulder, wanting to offer support. But at his touch, Shad reeled backward, a hand clasped to his forehead. For just a moment, Sylvan swore he seemed to fade right before his eyes.

“Forgive me!” he exclaimed, starting backwards. “I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s all right. I’m all right.” Shadow took a deep breath and seemed to solidify again. “For a minute there it was like I could feel something pulling on me somehow.”

“Perhaps it was your future pulling you back,” Sylvan said. “Perhaps that is the danger this Time Warden you spoke of meant when he warned you against staying in this time.”

“Maybe.” Shad shook his head briefly, as though to clear it. “I’m okay now—we have to go. Harper is in danger.”

“We’ll go at once,” Sylvan promised. Being careful to keep his distance from the other male he added, “And may the Goddess go with us.”

“That’s my prayer too,” Shad said grimly. “She told me to trust but it’s so fucking hard to do that at a time like this.”

“Still, she is close to her children in times of pain and stress,” Sylvan said. “You might not always feel her but she’s there. I believe she’ll bring us through this, Shad. She wouldn’t have made a way for you to come to us otherwise.”

“I hope you’re right,” was all Shad said but there was a haunted look in his strange eyes that made Sylvan fear for him. If this didn’t go well, if they weren’t able to save the female Shadow loved, he didn’t give much for the warrior’s chances of surviving her demise. Even the partial bond they shared might be enough to drag him down with her.

Please, Goddess—let it not be so, he prayed silently. Let us be in time. Protect the girl until we can reach her. Please!

Chapter Twenty-one

“Keep away from me, you ugly cockroach-looking son of a bitch!” The girl’s voice was somewhat muffled by the strange protective cloak she wore but her words were clear enough. Her insult and impudence came through loudly and clearly, much to X’izith's rage.

The Sovereign of the Hive stalked angrily around the breeding platform. Things were not going according to plan. They’d had the girl for over an hour and still his workers had been unable to get through her cloak to get her into breeding position. The colorful sharp spikes which covered it repelled any attempt to penetrate it and as for removing it, the thing seemed to be stuck to her with some kind of adhesive. None of the workers could pull it off, even when they tried all at once. Some had actually lost mandibles and limbs to the dangerous garment while trying!

Not that they mattered to X’izith—none of them were sentient or anywhere near important enough to bother with if they died. But the whole situation was frustrating in the extreme.

He had been preparing his breeding barb for weeks, rubbing soothing balm into the twisted scar tissue which surrounded it and marred his once-handsome abdomen. It was now as supple as it was likely to get—enough so that he was convinced he might even get some pleasure instead of just pain from the breeding. And yet the girl and her strange, protective cloak resisted him.

“Try again!” he snarled at the sentient workers who were using a sharp implement to try and penetrate the rainbow spikes without success. “Why am I not able to use my barb on the girl? Why am I denied access to my Breeding Queen?”

“Forgive us, Sovereign,” one of them said, his mandibles clicking with agitation. “But the cloak resists all weapons we have used on it and we are trying to be careful not to injure the valuable ten’sora beneath.”

X’izith’s first impulse was to chastise the worker angrily for giving yet another excuse while producing no results. But his attention was caught by the worker’s choice of words.

“Beneath,” he muttered, looking closely at the breeding platform. It was nothing but a table, really—a flat surface mounted on a central pedestal. The girl was crouched there in a ball with the cloak covering her back and head and feet but X’izith didn’t think it was covering her face. She wouldn’t be able to breathe if it was and she would have passed out long ago instead of continuing to hurl insults at him from inside her protective covering.

So it was reasonable to suppose that if he could reach her from under the table, her face might be exposed. Or at least her lips, which was all X’izith really needed…

“Worker,” he called, motioning with one claw. “Come—we must try a different approach. Fetch me a tunneler.”

Tunnelers were a subset of workers able to secrete a corrosive acid which ate through anything. They had been essential in building X’izith’s underground lair beneath the Martian mountains. Using that same acid to eat a hole through the tabletop of the breeding platform would be easy. And then, once he had access to the girl’s face—her mouth…

“Worker,” he called. “Bring me also a honey dispenser.”

The Blood Honey would bring any female to quiescence. Before long his new Breeding Queen would be happy to spread her legs for his barb.

Of that, X’izith was certain.

Chapter Twenty-two

“Are you well? You look pale, son of my Brothers.” Baird eyed him anxiously from where he sat, in the pilot’s chair of the war ship. As leader of the Kindred fleet, the Beast Kindred Shad remembered as “Uncle Baird” was at the head of the battalion and Shad had asked to fly with him—hoping to get to Harper sooner.

“I’m fine,” he protested, though he wasn’t at all sure it was true. He’d had another episode of what he was beginning to think of as “fading” just a moment ago and had sworn he could almost see the console of the ship through the palm of his hand. At the same time he felt that tugging sensation—as though someone or something was trying to pull him away, pull him back. But back where?

Could Sylvan be right that he was being pulled back to his own timeline? If so, he had to resist it somehow—at least until they rescued Harper. What was happening to her, even now?

Though Sylvan had been quick to believe his tale—thank the Goddess—Shad had still wasted precious time getting from the beach to the HKR building and up to the Mother Ship in the first place. Also, a battalion of war ships couldn’t be readied instantly. Although, to his credit, Baird had gotten the fleet into the air in record time.

“Are you ready to fold space?” Baird asked him and Shad knew he was really asking if he was able to fold space. A good question since he technically didn’t belong in this time. Would he suffer adverse effects from jumping through the space-time continuum when he was in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Shad thought it was entirely possible. But what else could they do? Flying to Mars in real time, even using hyper-speed, would take too long. By folding space instead, the Kindred fleet could arrive en mass, hopefully giving the Hive no time to mobilize.

“As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” he replied. “I just want to get to Harper.”

“Of course you do.” Baird cleared his throat. “Sylvan says you have a partial bond with your female. Let me know if you feel her once we make orbit around Mars. I’ll bring you right to the spot and we’ll go in together.”

“Thank you, uh, Uncle Baird.” It felt strange to call the male by the name Shad had used for him in childhood. Wrong somehow, since they were almost the same age in this timeline.

“Just Baird is find.” Baird shook his head, his golden eyes glinting in the lights of the control panel. “Still can’t believe you’re little Shad all grown up. Um…Sylvan says that Daniel is there too? In the future—your present?”

“Daniel is our rock—he led us through so many raids and kept us together no matter what the Hive threw at us,” Shad told him. “You can be proud of him—he’s going to grow up to be a strong, honorable male.”

“Good to know.” Pride gleamed in Baird’s eyes and he nodded. “There’s just one question I have though about all this past/future crap—if you don’t mind.”

“Ask.” Shad shrugged. “If I can answer, I will. It’s pretty confusing, I know.”

“Well…” Baird shifted in his seat. “Sylvan told me how you couldn’t come to us at the Mother Ship before—how you were warned you shouldn’t be in the, uh, same time period twice—at the same time as your younger self, I mean.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Shad looked down at his hands—thankfully they looked solid. At least for now.

“But what I don’t get, is why you didn’t at least call us,” Baird said. “I mean, you could have called the HKR building and warned us the Hive was hiding out on Mars, right? Wouldn’t that have solved the whole problem? I mean, we could have launched the attack and changed the whole course of history, right?”

Shad shook his head.

“You think I never thought of that? I tried, Baird—Goddess knows I tried to warn you so many times. But the past resists being changed. Every time I tried to use Harper’s cell phone or any other phone or communication device I could find, it would go dead or else cut off in the middle of the call when I was talking to the HKR personnel. I never successfully got a message through once.”

“Oh.” Baird looked chastened. “Sorry, Shad. I should have known you’d think to try calling. You always were a smart kid.”

“Too smart for my own good,” Shad muttered, looking at his hands again.

“Look—there’s the fold.” Baird pointed to the red gash opening in the blackness of space which had appeared on the viewscreen. “We’re good to go.”

“Let’s go then.” Shad shifted forward eagerly. “I need to get to Harper. Gods, I hope she’s all right!”

“I hope so too,” Baird said grimly. “Is she any good in a fight? Can she defend herself?”

“She’s very brave but she didn’t have any weapons with her,” Shad said. “She was wearing a protective cloak. It might help if it traveled with her when they transported her.” He looked at Baird. “Do you know if clothing gets transported along with living flesh when the E’lo stones are used?”

“Sorry.” Baird shook his shaggy head regretfully. “Not my area of expertise.” He cleared his throat. “Listen, I want you to know we’ve got our best warriors going in with us. And we have someone who’s had first hand experience with these bastards—a warrior name of Varin. He nearly killed X’izith back when the Hive were camped out on Earth’s moon, but somehow the bastard survived.”

“He won’t this time,” Shad said grimly. “This time I’ll finish him myself.”

“May the Goddess hear your prayer and grant you victory,” Baird growled. “Here we go!”

The ship accelerated forward and the entire war battalion vanished into the rift in space.

Chapter Twenty-three

After what felt like hours of the huge, awful insects sawing, hammering, and tearing at her cloak of thorns, Harper found the sudden silence ominous. Surely the Hive king—what had Shad told her he was named? Something with lots of Zs in it. Anyway, surely he hadn’t given up so easily. He’d been really determined to have her and had told her so in no uncertain terms.

When she’d first appeared in the weird, underground chamber lit by the dim, red glow of pulsing insect abdomens protruding from the walls around her, Harper had been petrified with fright. It had all seemed so alien, so awful and the stench in the air was beyond anything she’d ever smelled—thick and sweet and meaty like rotting flesh dipped in honey. It made her stomach roll and all her limbs seemed frozen with terror.

Thank goodness her cloak of thorns hadn’t been frozen as well. The minute the huge, hairy insects reached for her with their long, chitinous claws, it had hissed and fought back. Then he had arrived. The king—no, the Sovereign. Sovereign X'izith—that was his name. He had come.

He’d stalked up to her, looking to Harper like a seven foot tall cockroach with an ant’s head. Below, a wasp’s stinger that appeared to be as long as her arm extended from his lower abdomen.

Bugs, how she hated bugs! And the bigger they were, the more Harper hated them. She shrank back from the huge, disgusting Sovereign, her skin crawling in horror and disgust.

But her instinctive reaction didn’t seem to bother X’izith at all.

“So,” he had hissed at her. “My ten’sora—you are here at last. You shall be my Breeding Queen and bear an army of workers. But first…” He had leaned over her, his long joints moving in a jerky, insectile way. “First I think I will implant the royal grubs. I have waited long enough for a female with a fertile womb—it is time.”

Harper had been frozen with fear but then he extended his barb. Long and thick and horribly sharp, it dripped with thick green ichor which looked like poison and hissed like acid when it dribbled on the red stone floor.

“No!” she had gasped. She wanted to run but she was on a table-like platform and there was nowhere to go—she was completely surrounded by huge, awful insects, clacking their mandibles, twitching their antennae and rustling their wings.

It was like something out of a nightmare or maybe a bad drug trip—not that Harper had ever done much more than smoke a little pot in college. But she’d had a friend who was into much heavier stuff—mind altering drugs—and the scenario Harper faced now reminded her of some of the “bad trips” he had told her about.

When the Hive Sovereign had reached for her, she couldn’t think what to do. But she felt her cloak wrapping even more tightly around her and heard it hiss an angry warning at the insectile beings surrounding her.

Then she seemed to hear a voice echo in her head—a memory from the recent past. The voice of the cloth merchant from the Thieves' Market.

“When your lovely lady wears the cloak, nothing can harm her. It will be as strong as plasti-steel armor, repelling a knife or sword—even the blast of a plasma rifle cannot penetrate it.”

The cloak! The cloak can protect me, Harper realized.

Instinctively, she’d curled into a ball, face down on the table-like platform and huddled there, like a little kid hiding under the blanket so the boogie-man couldn’t get her.

As defensive strategies went, it wasn’t much, but so far it had been extremely effective. Harper felt bad for her cloak of thorns which was taking huge amounts of abuse but, true to the merchant’s word, it protected her faithfully, sticking to her like glue and absorbing any and all blows so that she hardly felt them.

Harper knew she couldn’t stay here like this forever. She was beginning to get muscle cramps from squeezing herself into a ball for so long, but in lieu of a better idea, she was pretty much stuck.

If I can just hold out, she told herself. Shad saw me get taken. Maybe he can come to me somehow. If I can just make it until someone comes…

That was when she smelled the strange, bitter, burning smell—like plastic melting—and something odd began to happen to the table beneath her.

* * * * *

They caught the Hive completely unprepared at first—maybe because X’izith was too focused on getting to Harper to pay attention to what was going on outside his lair, Shad thought grimly. There were guards at the entrance to the underground area but the Kindred overwhelmed them with sheer numbers and cut them down one by one.

“Do it quick—don’t let them sound the alarm,” the male beside Shad growled. “Aim for the joints and the sections where the head meets the body and the thorax meets the abdomen—those are the vulnerable parts.”

He was the specialist in the Hive Baird had talked about—a warrior named Varin with pale copper eyes and an intense look about him. He seemed to know a lot about the Hive’s defenses and he was an absolutely deadly shot, at least according to Baird.

“Sound the alarm? I haven’t heard anything from the ones we’ve killed,” Baird said but Varin shook his head.

“With the Hive it’s all about smell. If one of them gets off an alarm scent, they’ll swarm. That’s what you’ve got to watch out for.”

"Varin is right—the Hive runs on scent," Shad told his uncle.

“All right but what do you mean by they'll swarm?” Baird asked. "I don't—"

But even as he spoke, an acrid scent filled the air, wafting to the back tunnels and Varin growled, “Shit.”

Suddenly, echoing down the long corridors which appeared to have been melted into the solid rock, there was a sound. A thrumming, humming sound so low that at first Shad couldn’t identify it. Then it grew more distinct.

It’s like thousands of wings rustling at once, he thought. Thousands of claws scratching against the stones. Thousands of mandibles clicking in unison.

Then they came.

“Flame-torches out!” Baird bellowed and every warrior, Shad included, unholstered the handheld weapons which looked like large, silver blasters. But instead of a laser, the flame-torches shot rounds of pure fire—pellets which burst and sprayed liquid flames that clung to an enemy like glue, burning and burning until there was nothing left to burn.

It was dark in the tunnels under the Martian mountains but the flame pellets lit the dim gloom in nightmare flashes. Huge compound eyes glared at them from out of the darkness and there were too many limbs, too many curved, serrated mandibles clicking, hungry for their flesh.

“Burn them!” Baird bellowed. “Burn them all! Don’t leave a single one alive!”

Shad fired into the crowd with the rest of them, praying that Harper was somewhere safe—somewhere else. He knew she was alive—now that he was in range of her, he could feel the partial bond they had formed thrumming in his chest like a plucked string. So at least she was still alive but her fear…

Though he couldn’t catch any of her thoughts, Shad could feel Harper’s terror. It filled him so strongly it nearly drove him crazy with the need to get to her, to save her from whatever or whoever was hurting her.

Have to find her! Have to save her! Hang on, Kallana—I’m coming!

He roared his rage, firing into the swarming mass of giant insects with one hand while he slashed with the long laser blade Baird had given him to use with his other. These bastards were standing in his way—standing between him and Harper. He would kill them, Goddess-damn it! Kill every last one of the bug-eyed, spindly-limbed, insectile bastards. And if anything had happened to her…if that bastard X’izith had pierced her with his barb…

But that didn’t bear thinking of. Shad fired and hacked and slashed… fired and hacked and slashed…over and over, working desperately to get to the woman he loved.

Please Goddess, he prayed silently. Let me reach her in time…let it not be too late.

* * * * *

The acrid smell of burning got stronger and suddenly it was no longer so dark under the cloak. Harper couldn’t understand why but then she saw that the light was coming not from above, but from below her—almost right where her face was pressed to the rough tabletop.

Looking down, she saw that a small hole had opened in the thick stone and it was rapidly getting bigger.

Holy crap—are they burning through solid stone? How in the hell are they doing that?

Instinctively, she tried to move away, to shift positions without leaving the protective shelter of the cloak. But the hole was growing too quickly. As she started to move, something long and thin and horribly strong slipped up through the hole in the table and whipped around the back of her neck, holding her in place.

“Hey!” Harper gasped breathlessly. “Hey, let me go you son-of-a-bitch!”

But struggle as she might, she couldn’t get free. And since the strong coil holding her head down was inside the sheltering fabric, the cloak couldn’t protect her.

As Harper watched in horror, the hole grew even larger and she saw a face staring back at her—the same face she’d seen the first time she touched the harmless looking lifeguard who turned out to be a Hive mind-slave down at the beach.

Compound eyes and clicking mandibles—the face was alien, insectile. Hungry.

Harper started to scream and something shot out of the thing’s mouth and slid between her lips.

She gagged and fought but the slimy tube wormed its way down her throat and started pulsing. Her mouth was flooded with a flavor like rotting meat coated in honey.

“Now then,” she heard X’izith buzzing somewhere over her head. “Let’s see how you feel after a dose of the Blood Honey, my Queen. Soon you shall be ready to breed. Soon—”

“My Sovereign, please,” a new voice wined. “There is trouble in the corridors. The alarm scent has gone out. We fear the worst.”

“Close the entrance to the breeding chamber.” X'izith’s buzzing voice was sharp and commanding. “Close it now. Don’t let them—”

“Let her go, you fucker! What are you doing to her?” It was a roar of pure rage that made Harper’s ears ring despite the muffling cloak still over her head. To her relief, the voice sounded familiar.

Suddenly the alien beneath her let out a piercing, mewling shriek and the slimy tubes holding and invading her were hastily withdrawn.

At once, Harper started gagging, trying to get rid of the horrible taste and the awful liquid—whatever it was—that had been pumped down her throat and into her belly.

Have to throw it up, she thought wildly. It’s some kind of poison—as bad as the sex-milk—maybe worse.

She didn’t know how she knew this but somehow she was completely certain. She’d been forced to ingest something that would harm her—perhaps kill her—if she didn’t get rid of it.

But though she coughed and gagged, she couldn’t bring any of the meaty honey-like substance up. It seemed to refuse all attempts to dislodge it.

Oh God, what was she going to do?

“Shad?” she called in a trembling voice, because she was certain that was who the voice she’d heard belonged to. She could feel his protective rage through the partial bond they shared. It flooded her, letting her know he was here to keep her safe and kill anyone or anything that threatened her.

That’s right—Shad’s here. Everything is going to be all right now, a little voice whispered hopefully in the back of her head. He’s going to kill X’izith. In fact, he probably already has.

It must be true—she hadn’t heard the Hive Sovereign’s voice replying to Shad’s threat. Everything was okay now—it was safe to come out.

“Shad?” she asked again in a choking voice, sitting up and lifting her head at last.

“No! Stay down, Harper!” His white eyes were wild with fear. “Don’t—”

Alert to the danger, Harper started to duck her head and hide under the cloak again. But it was too late—a long, strangely jointed limb covered in wiry black hairs had snaked its way around her throat, just above the protective edge of the cloak.

“Put down your weapons,” she heard X’izith’s hissing voice demand in her ear. “Put them down and step back or I rip the female’s pretty little head off.”

Chapter Twenty-four

“No!” Shad’s cry was a sound of anguish, torn from his throat. He saw Harper’s lovely jade green eyes widen in terror, felt her fear rising inside him like a tide of dark water. Seeing her in danger and feeling her panic was overwhelming—suddenly a red curtain of fury seemed to drop over his eyes.

Rage, he thought absently. I’m going into Rage. I didn’t even think that was possible for a Shadow Twin.

Then again, bonding with a female was supposed to be all but impossible too, but he’d managed that, thanks to She Who Alters.

Gods, to think he’d gotten Harper all the way to She Who Alters—almost all the way to the end of the loop—and this was the result.

The Hive still wins, he thought, feeling sick with weariness and fury. No matter what I do, the fucking Hive wins—the past refuses to be changed.

“Shad…” Harper choked out, her fingers fluttering helplessly around her throat.

Her rainbow cloak of thorns was hissing and snapping at the hairy, chitinous arm X’izith had locked around her neck but the Sovereign of the Hive was keeping clear of it. His arm was raised just above the cloak’s attack in a way that lifted Harper’s chin at a painful angle. He was holding her in front of him, using her body like a shield while keeping his own vulnerable abdomen a few inches out of the cloak of thorn’s range.

“Let her go, you fucker,” Shad growled, his voice so deep and angry it was almost unrecognizable even to his own ears. “Let her go or I swear I’ll tear you limb from fucking limb!”

“I think not.” X’izith clicked his mandibles menacingly and tightened his grip on Harper until she let out a gasping squeak. “I have the upper hand here, Kindred, as no one can deny. This female is my right—my Breeding Queen—and none shall take her from me. I will be taking her away with me in a Hive ship and none of you will follow.”

“The Hell you will,” Shad growled harshly, raising his blaster, which boasted far better precision than the flame-torch. “You’ll be dead before you get two feet.”

“Ah, but so will the little female.” One of X'izith’s long antennae swiveled down to caress the side of Harper’s cheek. She gasped and shivered and Shad felt her revulsion and disgust for the huge insect which held her. Harper hated bugs—this must be a nightmare for her!

“Let her go!” he demanded again. “I swear to all the Gods that ever were I’ll shoot your fucking head off!”

“Have you ever heard of a fast-twitch reflex, Kindred?” X'izith’s voice was low, almost purring. “It is a reaction common to my people. It means that if you shoot me, the muscles in the arm I have locked around her neck will twitch in response, ripping off this little female’s head. If you do not wish to see her die right in front of you, you will allow me safe passage away from here.”

“No!” Harper’s voice was a strangled shriek. “No, Shad—shoot him!” she begged, her eyes bright with tears. “I’d rather die than go through what he has planned for me. Shoot him!”

Shad felt like a cruel fist was squeezing his heart to pulp in his chest. He couldn’t let Harper be taken but if he took the shot he was aiming for, she would die before his eyes. Now he knew what his brother War had felt like when he’d been forced to kill Ziza. It was more grief and guilt and horror than any warrior should have to bear, and yet, this was the choice he had to make. But between killing Harper and letting X’izith have his way with her, there was really no choice.

His finger tightened on the trigger.

“Stop, son of my kin!” A strong, familiar voice exploded inside his skull. Cutting his eyes to the right, he saw Baird standing, also with his blaster drawn. He wasn’t looking at Shad—like every other warrior in the room, his gaze was trained on X’izith and Harper. But there was a silver wire around his temples that Shad recognized—a think-me. His uncle was using it to bespeak him.

“Don’t speak aloud and whatever the fuck you do, don’t shoot,” Baird’s strong mental voice continued. “Just answer me one thing—how strong is that cloak of hers? Varin thinks he has a shot—first at the arm joint to nullify the twitch reflex and then in the back. He’s packing a plasma rifle with ten times the potency of a blaster. Can Harper’s cloak withstand it if the blast goes through that Hive fucker’s thorax and comes out against her back?”

A little of the desperate red Rage seeped out of Shad’s vision as he tried to concentrate…tried to think. Could the cloak of thorns withstand so much? He remembered the merchant in the Thieves' Market bragging that it could. He’d said the cloak would be as strong as plasti-steel armor and that it would protect Harper from any kind of attack. But was it true?

From the corner of his eye, he saw Varin moving stealthily around the perimeter of the room. He was on X’izith’s blind side, out of range of his one remaining compound eye. In his hands was what looked like a blaster with an impossibly long silver barrel.

Shad took a deep breath. The plasma rifle—that was what the Vision Kindred held. Its beam was so destructive that many planets had banned the weapon outright.

“Should he take the shot? Just nod your head if he should,” Baird’s voice said in his brain.

For a moment, Shad froze. Was the Vision Kindred really a good enough shot to sever the arm joint before X’izith could rip Harper’s head off? Baird had assured him the warrior was a deadly marksman but could anyone be that good? Was Shad about to see the woman he loved killed in front of his eyes?

He looked into her face and saw terror…and felt her determination. Harper really would rather die than go with the Sovereign of the Hive and Shad didn’t blame her a bit. It was a chance they had to take.

Without looking at Baird, he nodded his head once, very slightly.

Chapter Twenty-five

Harper felt like she was choking—like she couldn’t get enough air. The hairy insect arm around her neck was horribly strong and the scent of rotten meat hung heavily around the Sovereign—a noxious cloud that made her want to gag. She fought the impulse grimly—X'izith’s arm around her neck narrowed her airway so much she could barely breathe. She was certain if she started throwing up right now she would choke to death.

Not that choking to death might not be preferable to the alternative.

She saw Shad’s finger tighten on the trigger of the silver weapon he held and wondered if this was the end—wondered how much it would hurt to have her head torn off.

Please just let it be over quickly, she prayed. Please don’t let it hurt too much! Please—

And then everything happened at once.

There was a flash of light by her right eye—almost a silent explosion. The arm at her neck jerked and Harper was sure this was it—she was going to die.

But instead of pulling her head off, the hairy insect arm somehow jerked itself free of X’izith’s body. It fell away from her neck and lay twitching at her feet on the table-like surface of what he’d called the “Breeding Platform.”

The Sovereign’s surprised shriek of pain and anger was just beginning when another flash of light—this one lower—lit the dim room. Suddenly, it was as if a huge, powerful hand pushed Harper forward, away from the screeching, flailing insect.

She stumbled and fell off the rocking platform, expecting to face-plant on the hard stone floor below.

Instead, strong arms caught her and Shad was holding her tight.

“It’s all right, sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice low and rough with emotion. “Everything is going to be all right now, Kallana. I’ve got you—everything is going to be all right.”

“Oh Shad!” His name was torn from her throat in a sob and she clung to him, pressing her face to his neck, not wanting to see what was happening behind her. The screaming, scrabbling wounded dance of the Sovereign as he jerked and swayed and died. Please, God, let him just die.

Then she realized something was missing.

“My cloak!” Her head jerked up as she realized she was no longer wearing it. Had the strange, silent explosion she’d seen from the corner of her eye—the one that had somehow pushed her off the breeding platform—hurt it? “Is it okay?” she demanded, turning her head to try and find it.

“I’d say it’s just fine,” Shad said dryly. “Looks like the same can’t be said for its prey though.”

“It’s prey?” Harper forced herself to look at the breeding platform again. Sovereign X'izith was still there—on his back now, dying like a stepped on roach.

The biggest roach in the world, Harper thought and shuttered convulsively in utter revulsion. She’d always hated bugs and living in Florida meant she saw a lot more of them than she wanted to. But the Sovereign of the Hive put even the biggest palmetto bug to shame. Watching him die was truly horrifying.

There was a hole in the Hive leader’s abdomen and his breeding barb had twisted upward and was dripping burning green ichor from its bent tip down into the exposed cavity. Smoke was rising from the ruined flesh as he burned himself with his own acid-like essence. This had to be excruciatingly painful but it wasn’t his only problem, Harper saw.

Her rainbow cloak had finally let go of her…and attached itself to X'izith’s head instead. It had a hole in it too, Harper saw—or rather, a threadbare spot where its fabric looked as thin as cobwebs—but that didn’t seem to have affected its energy level at all. Its many spines and quills had formed into claws and a ravenous looking mouth with jagged rainbow teeth. Currently it was doing its best to tear the Sovereign’s face off.

“Oh God,” she whispered, burying her face in Shad’s neck again. “Oh God, I don’t want to see!”

“You don’t have to, baby. Don’t look,” he urged, nuzzling the top of her head comfortingly with his chin. “Just don’t look—everything here is almost over. Baird and the rest of the warriors are going to wipe out the rest of the Hive—the few who are left. These fuckers will never bother us again.”

“Never again,” Harper whispered, nuzzling closer to lay her head on his broad shoulder. “We won, Shad—we changed history. We really, finally w—”

She stopped in mid-sentence because somehow, instead of pressing against him, her face seemed to almost press into the hard flesh of his shoulder. And the flesh wasn’t hard anymore—it seemed to give, almost like marshmallow.

Harper’s tightly shut eyes sprang open. For a moment, she swore she could see right through Shad’s body to the rough red stone walls beyond. What the Hell was going on?

“Shad?” She jerked her head up, looking at him with worried, wide eyes. “Shad, what—”

A rising shriek cut her off and they turned simultaneously to see that the cloak of thorns had nearly finished the job. X’izith’s mandibles had punched through the threadbare cloth in one part but the cloak had taken his one remaining eye—when the cloth rose for a moment the oozing socket was clear to see. And then it lowered again as, with a final, convulsive move, it severed the shrieking Sovereign’s head from his neck.

The huge insect body twitched spasmodically, its clawed appendages punching the air in jerks and kicks even as the shrieking cry cut off abruptly. Black ichor drooled from the stump of its neck and puddled on the breeding platform below it.

And then finally, it was over. X’izith, Sovereign for centuries, servant of the Nameless Ones, and Ruler of the Hive was finally and irrefutably dead.

Harper knew she should feel relief but all she could feel was disgust and nausea.

“Ugh!” she moaned against Shad’s neck, forgetting the strange momentary illusion she’d had that he was somehow see-through. “Think I’m going to be sick!”

Actually, it would be a good thing if she could throw up—she needed to get the sweet, meaty stuff they’d pumped down her throat out of her system. God, she’d almost forgotten about that! She needed to tell Shad—needed to get an antidote to it, whatever it had been.

“Shad,” she began. “Before you came in one of the, uh, worker bugs reached me and made me drink this awful stuff. It tasted like honey and blood and rotten meat and—”

“Blood Honey.” The low, growling voice belonged to a Kindred with dark hair and pale copper eyes.

“Varin!” Shad nodded gravely at the other warrior. “You have my undying thanks for saving my female’s life. Your aim was true.”

“Just finishing a job I started some time ago,” the other male said. “But did I hear your female say she had been fed the Blood Honey by one of X’izith’s workers?”

Harper frowned. “I…think that was what he called it. They shoved a slimy tube down my throat and…” She shivered and couldn’t go on.

Varin nodded grimly. “The same thing happened to my Brynn.”

“Is Brynn your wife?” Harper asked quickly. “Is she all right? Did they have to pump her stomach to get it out? I mean, it’s poison—right?”

“Of a kind but it won’t kill you,” was Varin’s not-very-reassuring reply. “Listen, we have to finish mopping up the last stragglers,” he told Shad. “Bring your female to the med station when we get back to the Mother Ship. Commander Sylvan will want to look her over for injuries. I’ll talk to you then. Here,” he added. “I’m not sure if you want it back or not but…”

He let his sentence trail off as he held out the rainbow cloak of thorns to her. It had a huge hole in it and was so weak it could barely hiss at the Kindred as he held it.

“Oh, no!” Harper took the cloak gently and cradled it like a baby. “Oh you poor thing!” she whispered as she felt its rainbow quills caress her fingers weakly. “I’m so sorry!” Her tears fell on the cloak. It trembled in her arms for a moment longer and then was still.

Harper looked up at Shad who was watching gravely. “I…I think it's dead,” she whispered and started crying again, weeping not only for the cloak but for the awful ordeal she’d just been through as the stress and fear finally started to leak away. “It’s dead, Shad—it’s gone.”

“It gave its life to save you,” he said gently. “We will never forget its love and loyalty to you.”

“Truly it was a worthy and valiant protector,” Varin rumbled. He bowed his head for a moment in respectful silence, then looked up. “Forgive me but I must go now. I’ll see you both in the med station back on the Mother Ship.”

He left before Harper could ask any more questions but it didn’t matter—she was too upset about her cloak to think any more of the awful Blood Honey and its possible side effects.

But as she clutched the cloak to her chest, she had a worried feeling, somehow—a feeling that bad things weren’t done happening yet. That even though the past had been changed and the Hive had been vanquished, something still wasn’t quite right…

Chapter Twenty-six

On the way back in Baird’s ship with Harper riding on his lap, Shad had another episode of fading—just as he had when he’d first caught her in the Hive’s lair. This time there was no dying cloak to distract Harper—she demanded to know what was going on.

“Shad, what the hell?” she exclaimed, staring at him as he finally re-solidified. It seemed to take longer this time than it had during previous incidents.

Shad didn’t know what to say. Harper was wrapped in a spare uniform shirt Baird had given him to cover her, since the remains of the green-fringed dress hid next to nothing, and she had stopped crying about the rainbow cloak, which was folded neatly in her lap. But her jade green eyes were red-rimmed and he could tell she was still upset. For that reason he was reluctant to tell her what was going on.

That and the fact that speaking it out loud would somehow make it true.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, trying to make his voice even and reasonable.

“You’re goddamned right there’s a problem!” Harper exclaimed. “I almost sank right through your lap just now and for a minute I could swear I saw the seat right through your head. It was like you were…melting away for a minute. What’s going on?”

Baird, who had been piloting the ship in silence, his hands clamped to the steering yoke, shot Shad a quizzical glance.

“I noticed the, uh, see-through thing on the way over to Mars,” he remarked, frowning. “Care to share, son of my Brothers?”

Shad sighed. There was no getting around it and no pretending it wasn’t happening. Part of him had hoped that the fading would stop once the Hive was defeated but apparently the future’s hold on him had nothing to do with what happened in the past.

“Sylvan thinks it’s the future—which is my present—dragging me back,” he admitted reluctantly. “I don’t belong in this time because I’m already here—my younger self is, anyway. I’m sorry, Kallana,” he murmured, seeing Harper’s stricken face. “I’m so damn sorry.”

“So what…you’re just going to…going to melt away?” Her eyes were wide and wounded. “But that’s not fair, Shad! We did what we had to do! We killed the Sovereign! We defeated the Hive and changed the future. It’s not fair.”

“We always knew it was going to be this way,” Shad reminded her harshly. “We always knew we’d be separated at the end of the loop.”

“But this isn’t the loop,” Harper insisted. “She Who Alters put us down outside the loop, didn’t she?”

“I believe she did but it doesn’t seem to matter, the result is the same. You’ll stay here and I…” Shad sighed heavily. “Eventually I will be pulled back to my own time. I’m sorry, Harper,” he said more softly. “I never meant for this to affect you. I was the only one who was supposed to remember and regret. If we had reached the end of the loop as I planned, you would have forgotten me.”

“I don’t want to forget you. I don’t want to lose you!” She threw her arms around his neck and pressed hard against him, as though she could keep him with her through sheer force of will.

“I don’t want to lose you either,” Shad murmured. “Remember, I promised I would find you in the future,” he added, trying to make her feel better.

“I’ll be too old for you!” Her voice was a choked sob, muffled against his neck and her tears were hot against his skin. “And I don’t want to have to wait twenty years to see you again. Please, Shad—we have to find a way to keep you here. We have to.”

Shad didn’t know what to tell her. He had never felt more helpless than he did holding the woman he loved in his arms and telling her he had to leave her and there was nothing he could do to stop or prevent it.

“Talk to Sylvan,” Baird advised. He had been piloting quietly, not interfering in the volatile scene between Shad and Harper but now he spoke up. “If anyone can think of a solution, it would be my brother,” he said firmly. “Talk to him.”

“We have to see him anyway in the med lab,” Shad murmured. “We need to get Harper, uh, checked out.”

“Maybe he can help you,” Baird said.

As Harper’s arms tightened around his neck and her sobs shook him, Shad prayed to the Goddess his uncle was right.

Chapter Twenty-seven

“Now, then. Varin has informed me you were forced to ingest the Hive’s Blood Honey?” Commander Sylvan raised one pale blond eyebrow at her. He’d already taken blood samples and run several other tests, much to Harper’s impatience. She didn’t want to talk about herself—she was more worried about Shad.

“Yes, they gave me the Blood Honey stuff but that’s not the main problem right now,” she said earnestly. “Shad’s being pulled back into his own time and we need your help to stop it.”

A look of compassion came over the Kindred doctor’s face—probably the same look he got when he was telling someone they had a terminal illness, Harper thought.

“Harper,” he said gently. “I’m the head of the High Council and a doctor—but I’m not a manipulator of time or space. I’m afraid I can’t help you with that particular problem.”

“But there must be a way,” Harper insisted. “Maybe he’s too close to his younger self here on the Mother Ship. Maybe if we got far away—went back down to Earth—”

“We were just on Mars, Harper,” Shad reminded her, his voice a low, weary growl. “That’s a hell of a lot further from the Mother Ship than Earth is and I had two, uh, ‘fading incidents’ there. I don’t think getting further away from my younger self is the answer.”

“But there has to be something we can do,” she exclaimed. “There has to be, Shad. You can’t just…just leave me!”

“I don’t want to leave you, Kallana,” he murmured. “I just don’t see any way to stop it.”

Sylvan frowned. “If only there was a way to anchor you here…”

“Anchor him—yes, that’s it—that’s the idea!” Harper exclaimed excitedly. “Can’t we find a way to anchor him? To…oh!”

She doubled over suddenly as pain lanced through her.

“Harper? Harper, are you all right?” Shad’s voice sounded nearly frantic as he grabbed her by the shoulders, saving her from pitching off the exam table in the little private exam room they were in.

“I…I don’t know,” Harper gasped. The pain was between her legs but it wasn’t so much a pain as an emptiness. An aching…a need to be filled. After a long moment, it seemed to ease and she was able to sit up again with Shad’s help. But though the sharp pain eased, she still felt wrong. Her breasts hurt—the nipples were too sensitive and the breasts themselves felt suddenly full and heavy.

Feels just like after I had that awful sex-milk, she thought dizzily. God, what’s wrong with me?

“What’s wrong with her?” Shad demanded, asking Sylvan exactly what she was thinking.

Sylvan was frowning.

“I’m afraid I’m not exactly sure. I did see evidence of the Blood Honey she ingested in her labs but I’ve only ever had one other patient who was subjected to it.”

“That would be Varin’s mate, correct?” Shad asked anxiously.

Sylvan nodded. “But I don’t believe her symptoms came on as quickly as Harper’s.” He looked at a vid-clipboard chart, staring at the figures there with a frown. “It’s almost like she already had something in her system—something that accelerated and exacerbated he Blood Honey’s effects on her.”

“The sex-milk,” Harper whispered and even as she spoke, she felt her breasts getting fuller. She remembered thinking that the Blood Honey was a poison like the strange purple liquid she’d been tricked into drinking back at the Thieves' Market. It seemed she had been right. But had the traces of the sex-milk still in her system actually made the effects of the Blood Honey worse?

Sylvan frowned. “I’m sorry—what? What kind of milk?”

“It was a kind of aphrodisiac Harper was given on Juno,” Shad explained in a low voice. “It had…side effects which were most uncomfortable for her. I thought she was cured of it but now…I’m not so sure.” He eyed the red Kindred uniform shirt Harper was wearing, the one Baird had loaned her to cover up with.

Following his gaze, Harper realized there were two wet spots on the front of the thick, silky red fabric.

Oh no—not again! Miserably, she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide the stains. God, what was she going to do?

Sylvan was frowning. “It’s possible I should run a few more tests—”

“Testing isn’t what she needs.” The new voice belonged to Varin, the Vision Kindred who had given her back her cloak. He was standing in the doorway of the exam room, a frown on his dark face. Beside him was a petite girl with pale skin and a long waterfall of black hair down to her waist.

“Varin?” Sylvan frowned. “This is a private consultation, I’m afraid.”

“Forgive us for barging in.” The Vision Kindred ducked his head in apology. “But my mate Brynn and I have dealt with the effects of the Blood Honey before.”

The girl spoke up in a soft, bird-like voice.

“We thought we might be able to shed some light on the situation.”

“It’s not just the Blood Honey we’re dealing with,” Sylvan objected. “Harper has been given another substance which greatly intensified and accelerated the Blood Honey’s influence on her.”

“All the more reason you need our help,” Varin said firmly. “Forgive me, Commander Sylvan, but you might have seen what the Blood Honey can do to someone but Brynn here has felt it. And I had a hand in helping to cure her.”

“So this is curable?” Shad asked eagerly. “How?”

Varin cleared his throat and shifted uneasily. “Perhaps it would be easier if you and I spoke in private,” he said to Shad.

“And I’ll speak to Harper—with your permission, of course, Commander Sylvan.” Brynn nodded her head deferentially to the blond Kindred doctor.

“As you wish. If you need me, I’ll be here in the med station.” Commander Sylvan didn’t look happy about it but he stepped out into the hallway and left Shad and Harper alone with Varin and Brynn.

“Look, I’m not worried about any of this…this Blood Honey stuff,” Harper protested uneasily as she watched the doctor go. “I’m worried about keeping you here, Shad—anchoring you to this time so you don’t fade away.”

But as she spoke, another bolt of aching emptiness shot through her, making her clench her thighs together and gasp.

“Harper, please.” Shad took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “This is more important right now—curing you is more important. How do you think I’d feel if I was dragged back to my own time knowing you were still ill? Please, sweetheart—let’s get you healed first and then we can worry about my situation.”

Harper wanted to protest but the aching emptiness inside wouldn’t let her. She felt like a black hole had opened up inside her—a hungry need that demanded to be filled. For an intense moment it was nearly unbearable and she squeezed her hands into fists, her nails digging into her palms, and bit her lip until she tasted blood. Slowly, the ache began to ease and the pain gradually left, although her breasts were still as full and heavy as ever.

“All…all right,” she finally managed to get out. “But please, let’s try to move quickly.”

“You can be cured pretty quickly,” Brynn promised her. “Let’s talk—girl to girl, all right?”

“Shad and I will go out into the hallway,” Varin growled.

Harper wanted to object—she was frightened to let Shad out of her sight, even for a moment. Frightened he might fade away and disappear while she wasn’t looking. She somehow had the irrational idea that if she saw him starting to fade she could grab him and keep him in her own time.

But that’s ridiculous, she told herself. He was holding you in his arms the last two times he started to fade and you couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Still, she couldn’t help the feeling that she needed to keep her eyes on him every minute. To her relief, when he stepped outside the room with Varin, she could at least still see their silhouettes against the curtained windows of the exam room. She kept her eyes trained on Shad’s shadow as Brynn spoke.

“You feel like you have an emptiness inside, don’t you?” she said in her soft voice. “You’re aching and you feel you’ll die if you aren’t filled soon.”

Harper looked at her in surprise, forgetting for a moment to keep her eyes on Shad’s silhouette.

“How did you—”

“Know how you’re feeling? It’s because I had the Blood Honey forced on me too.” Brynn came forward and took one of Harper’s hands in her own small, pale one. “You’re going to need your male very badly very soon, Harper. It’s going to feel like if you don’t have him in you, you’ll die. It might feel shameful or wrong but you have to overcome those feelings and ask him for what you need.”

Harper bit her lip. “Why…why are you telling me this?”

“Because I wish someone would have told me,” Brynn said gently. “Of course, no one really knew. But it would have saved me a lot of grief and guilt if they had and could have told me.”

“What exactly are you saying?” Harper asked softly. “What should I do?”

“I’m telling you that the effects of the Blood Honey can only be cured one way,” Brynn said. “A deep breeding.”

* * * * *

“You have to breed her hard.” Varin spoke in a low, intense voice, his eyes fixed on Shad’s face, as though to gauge his reaction. “A lot harder than you probably want to. It might even feel like you’re hurting her but that’s what she’s going to need—it’s the only way to get over the Blood Honey.”

“Gods…” Shad raked a hand through his hair. “We…we’re not even completely bonded.” Nor could they be. Now that he was certain he was being pulled back to his own time, it was a bad idea to complete their bond. It would be hard enough to lose Harper when he had a partial bond with her—if they sealed the bond and then lost each other, it was going to be painful on both sides. More than just painful—the ache of an empty bond was excruciating, or so he’d heard.

“I’m sorry about that.” Varin shook his head. “Slow and gentle is better for the first time. But I’m afraid it’s the only way to get her over the Blood Honey. You have to breed your female and fill her with your seed.”

“I’ll…take your words into consideration,” Shad said formally. “Thank you.”

Varin seemed about to say something else, but then he only shrugged.

“May the Goddess see you through it,” he murmured.

Just then there was a muffled cry from inside the exam room and Shad recognized Harper’s voice.

“Excuse me!” He pushed past Varin and went back in to where Harper was doubled over on the exam table.

Brynn was holding her hand, a worried look on her delicate features.

“I’m afraid she’s having a hard time,” she told Shad. “She needs you now—very badly.”

“I understand.” Shad scooped her into his arms and Harper curled against him like a wounded creature.

“Shad,” she whispered. “Shad, please…I need…need you so much.”

His heart squeezed in his chest.

“I know, sweetheart,” he growled softly. “And I’m going to help you, I swear it.”

Although he still didn’t know how he could do it without forming a permanent bond between them and condemning both of them to a lifetime of misery when he actually did fade away.

Chapter Twenty-eight

“We’ll start with a bath,” Shad said, laying her gently on the couch of the guest suite Commander Sylvan had sent them to. “Let’s get you all clean and warm—I think it will help.”

Harper was fairly certain that the only thing that would help her was his shaft deep inside her giving her what Brynn had described as a “deep breeding” but Shad hadn’t seemed willing to talk about that on the way to the guest suite they were staying in. She was pretty sure what was holding him back—he didn’t want to complete the bond between them when he might get taken back to his own time at any moment.

But what else could they do? How else was she going to get over this when Brynn and Varin, the only people they knew who had any experience with the Blood Honey, had told them making love—breeding—was the only way to overcome its effects?

“You need penetration—deep penetration,” Brynn had told her. Her pale cheeks had gone pink with a blush as though this kind of frank talk about sex embarrassed her but she’d forced herself to go on anyway, for Harper’s sake. “And you need his cream—his seed—inside you. It’s the only way.”

Harper had no reason to doubt the other girl—especially when her own body was telling her exactly what Brynn had said. But she didn’t know how to broach the topic with Shad.

Also, it wasn’t just the place between her legs that was aching. Her breasts seemed to be getting fuller by the moment. Had that damn Blood Honey brought back the effects of the sex-milk? Harper was afraid there was no other explanation for the fullness of her breasts and the wet spots on her shirt, but she had to see to be for certain.

Now that she finally had some privacy, she dared to unbutton the red uniform shirt she was wearing and look down at her swollen breasts. She groaned at what she saw.

Sure enough, her nipples and areolas had turned from their normal light brown to the deep, blackberry shade they’d been after she had the sex-milk. And when she squeezed one puffy nipple, a tiny droplet of pale purple appeared on its tip.

“Ah, I was afraid of that.”

The sound of Shad’s voice made her head jerk up and Harper tried instinctively to hide her breasts with her arms.

“No, sweetheart.” He shook his head and knelt beside her. “No, don’t hide it. The Blood Honey brought back the sex-milk effects too, didn’t it?”

“I…I think so,” Harper admitted, allowing him to uncross her arms and pull them away from her body so he could study her bare breasts, now swollen with nectar.

“Then we don’t have much time to fix this.” He sounded decisive. “Let’s get you all cleaned up and I’ll help you like I did last time.”

Harper knew he meant he would suck the nectar out of her overfull breasts and then use his own body fluids as a kind of antidote for her illness. The question was, would he use his saliva as he had last time…or would he make love to her and come in her to solve the effects of both the sex-milk and the Blood Honey at the same time?

The emptiness between her thighs cried out for him but she didn’t want to push—didn’t want to demand he form a bond with her when it would condemn both of them to pain and anguish later if…

If the future takes him back, she finished lamely to herself.

Still, he hadn’t had a fading episode since they’d been sitting together in the spaceship on the way back from Mars, she reminded herself hopefully. Maybe he was getting more stable here—maybe he was going to stay with her after all.

Need to find a way to anchor him here, like Commander Sylvan said. But how? she wondered to herself.

By this time Shad was stripping the red uniform shirt and the tattered remains of the green fringe dress off her, making her naked. Harper didn’t even try to resist, though she still felt self-conscious about her swollen breasts. But he’d seen her like this before, she reminded herself, and he hadn’t seemed to mind.

“Shad…” she whispered as he scooped her off the couch and carried her into the bathing room. There was a wide, deep tub set almost flush with the floor so that it looked like a small swimming pool. The water inside was a pale, crystal blue and steam was rising from its surface.

“Sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead tenderly. “I’m going to put you in the bathing pool now so we can get you all clean.”

“Will you come in with me?” Harper begged softly. “Please, Shad—don’t leave me alone.”

“Of course I won’t…won’t leave you.” The words seemed to stick in his throat and Harper knew what he meant—he wouldn’t leave her if he could help it. But what if he faded right in front of her?

I won’t let that happen, she told herself fiercely. I’ll keep him here with me—somehow I’ll do it.

Shad lowered her into the steaming pool, which was filled up to the brim. Harper expected the water to spill over and onto the floor but somehow it didn’t. Maybe it was the Kindred version of an infinity pool, she thought.

After making certain she was all right, submerged to her waist in the warm water, the big Kindred began stripping away the leather vest and trousers and boots he’d been wearing all this time.

Harper’s mouth watered and her pussy ached with need when his long, thick shaft was revealed. He was only about half hard—clearly he was worried about her which probably kept him from getting fully erect at the moment—but he was still huge.

Plenty big enough to fill me up and stop this ache, she thought. In fact, he’s more than big enough.

For the first time, Harper wondered if she could fit all that inside herself. She hadn’t been with a guy in a long time and Shad was bigger than anyone she’d ever been with. But the emptiness inside her begged for him—telling her she had to have him—had to have all that hard, thick length inside her and she knew she wanted to try.

But would Shad let her?

His first order of business, when he lowered himself into the pool beside her, was to attend to her breasts.

“Here, sweetheart…let me help you.” Taking a soft, light blue cloth from a stack by the edge of the pool, he dipped it in the water and used it to wash her and then to caress her swollen breasts.

Harper hissed at first when the steaming liquid touched her sensitive nipples and jerked away.

“Sorry, baby,” Shad murmured contritely. “Didn’t mean to hurt you. Do you want me to kiss it better?”

Harper felt a surge between her thighs and squeezed them together tightly.

“Yes…please,” she whispered. God, how she needed him! All of him. His mouth…his hands…and most of all his long, thick cock. But she would take what she could get for now.

Making soft sounds of comfort, Shad cupped her full breasts in his hands and leaned down. Gently, he lapped at her tender buds, letting just the tip of his tongue circle them slowly until she gasped and pressed up to get more of his mouth on her.

“Shad,” she moaned. “Shad, please…”

“Going to suck you now, sweetheart,” he growled softly, looking into her eyes. “Going to suck your sweet breasts and ease the ache.”

Harper bit her lip to keep from asking if he minded drinking the nectar that had filled her breasts. After all, she reminded herself, he hadn’t minded last time. And it would feel wonderful to get rid of the heavy ache that had settled in her over-full breasts.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, please.”

“Over here.” There was a ledge for sitting on one end of the steaming pool. Shad settled on it and pulled Harper into his lap, facing him, so that she straddled his hips and her breasts were on level with his mouth. “Easier this way,” he murmured, stroking her back.

She moaned softly as she felt his thickness brush against her inner thighs—there was no doubt he was completely aroused now. The broad head of his cock slipped between her swollen pussy lips, nudging her clit, making her gasp and want to beg for more.

But it was clear Shad was only interested in sucking her breasts.

“Carefully,” he growled softly, putting his hands on her ass to steady her in his lap and keep her from sinking down any further against his straining shaft. “Just let me ease you, Harper—just let me suck your sweet breasts.”

“All right,” she whispered and leaned forward, giving him access to her chest.

Shad groaned softly and took her right nipple between his lips.

Harper couldn’t hold back a cry of pure lust as he drew hard on her tender nub, easing the ache in her breast even as he caused the one between her legs to grow.

“Shad,” she whispered breathlessly as he sucked and swallowed her nectar. “Shad, please, I need…I need…”

“What is it you need, sweetheart?” he growled softly, releasing her nipple to look up at her.

Harper knew what she really needed—she needed his hard shaft pounding into her while he did this, while he sucked her. She needed to ride his cock while he sucked the nectar from her breasts. But somehow she couldn’t make herself ask for it. What if he said no? What if he refused her?

“I need more…more contact with you,” she said at last, wiggling against him. She lowered herself until she felt the broad head of his cock pressing against her outer pussy lips again.

“Harper,” he said warningly and started to pull away but she stopped him with a hand on his broad shoulder.

“Please, Shad,” she murmured. “Even if you don’t…don’t want to put it inside me, can’t I please just rub against it? I feel so…so empty inside.”

His gaze softened and he reached up to stroke a strand of her long, curly hair away from her face.

“I know you do, sweetheart and I know you need my seed inside you to help with the effects of the Blood Honey. But I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone with an empty bond if I…if I get called away.”

“Don’t talk about that,” Harper pleaded. “Not now. Not unless we have to. For now can’t I just rub against you? Maybe if I just lowered myself down like this…” She demonstrated, pressing her pussy lips against the head of his shaft until he slipped inside and pressed against her clit. “Ahhh! That feels so good.”

“Yes, it fucking does,” Shad growled. “Gods, sweetheart…”

“We don’t have to do anything,” Harper told him breathlessly. “We could just…just rub against each other while you help me with my breasts.”

Shad looked indecisive for a minute, then he sighed.

“I can’t say no to you. But we need to move out of the bathing pool to do this right.”

Harper didn’t mind. She allowed him to help her out and towel her dry with a large, white sheet-like towel.

“Gods, baby, you’re so beautiful,” Shad murmured, kneeling at her feet to dry her legs and ass and patting gently at the mound of her pussy. “So fucking gorgeous it takes my breath away.”

“Oh, Shad…” She didn’t want to cry again but his sweet words seemed to pierce her heart. Why did she feel like they were doing this for the last time? Why did she feel like someone or something was granting them one last reprieve before taking Shad away from her?

Don’t think like that, she ordered herself. Find a way to anchor him here, find a way to keep him with you!

When she was dry, Shad lifted her easily into his arms and carried her back to the couch. There was a fireplace with a crackling fire of blue and gold and green flames in front of it and Harper luxuriated in the feel of the warmth against her bare skin.

“Now…” Shad settled on the couch and had her face him, once more straddling his hips. “Where were we?”

“You were helping me with my breasts,” Harper murmured, thrusting them forward so he could reach the sensitive nipples with his mouth again. “And you said it was all right to do this.”

With a little moan of pure desire, she sank down on him again so that the wide head of his cock slipped between her spread pussy lips. This time, with no water to make her buoyant, she was able to get much better contact. They both groaned when his thickness pushed into her wet folds and rubbed against her aching clit.

“God, Shad,” she gasped breathlessly, working her hips to feel the slick friction between them. “Suck my breasts again…I think I could come this way.”

“Love to feel you coming all over my cock, baby,” he growled and took her left nipple between his lips.

Harper moaned and ground against him, loving the feeling of him drawing the nectar from her breast as she pressed her swollen pussy against his thick shaft. He seemed to throb between her thighs and she wondered how close he was to coming himself. She wondered too if this kind of orgasm, with Shad outside her rather than planted deep in her pussy where she really wanted him, would do anything to satisfy her.

“You’ll need his shaft and his cream—his seed—deep inside you,” Brynn had told her. And God, that was exactly what she wanted—what she needed—but it didn’t seem like Shad was going to give it to her. He was too afraid of forming a bond that he might have to break later.

Maybe I need to get it for myself, then, she thought, half delirious with lust as she pressed against him, rubbing his long shaft between her swollen lower lips. Maybe he won’t stop me if I just get started.

Deliberately, she tilted her hips until the head of his cock was lined up with the entrance of her pussy. By this time Shad was thrusting in a regular rhythm, rubbing against her as she had been rubbing against him. The next time his shaft came forward it didn’t rub against her though—it entered her.

It was only the head but that was enough for Harper to know it was exactly what she needed—what her body so desperately craved. With a low cry, she lowered herself onto him, taking another inch of his thick cock inside her even though it felt like he was stretching her inner walls to the limit.

“Harper no—wait!” Shad released her nipple and put his hands on her waist, holding her steady, keeping her from taking the rest of him inside.

“Please!” she moaned softly, struggling in his grip. “Please, Shad, I need you inside me—please!”

“I don’t want to leave you with an empty bond and a baby if the future takes me back,” he said hoarsely. “If we do this, I could get you pregnant—did you think of that?”

Actually, Harper hadn’t even considered it. But she was too far gone to care now.

“Please,” she begged. “Brynn said I would…would need your seed inside me to get over the Blood Honey.”

He sighed, his pearlescent eyes uncertain.

“Varin said the same. But Harper, I don’t think—”

“Just keep it in me this far,” she said, trying to find an opening—a chink in his defenses. “You’ve only got the head inside me—can’t you keep just that much in my…my pussy while you finish with my breasts?”

“Well…” He seemed to hesitate but Harper used her inner muscles to squeeze him enticingly. “Please, Shad,” she whispered.

“All right,” he said at last. “But until we discuss this thoroughly and decide what to do, this is as far as we go. I’ll stay inside you while I finish sucking your nectar, but we can’t go any further.”

“Thank you…” Harper leaned forward, putting one sensitive nipple to his lips again. “Please, Shad—suck me again. Make me feel better,” she murmured.

“Gods, sweetheart…” he groaned and took the offered nipple, sucking it deep as though he was trying to get her whole breast into his mouth.

Harper moaned in pleasure and worked her hips, taking just the tip of his cock inside her over and over…the tip and just a little more. Because it seemed that as her nectar gushed into his mouth, it caused her pussy to gush as well—wetting his invading shaft with her juices until her inner walls—which had been stretched tight around the thick invader—at last began to relax.

Before Harper quite knew what was happening, another thick inch of his shaft had slipped inside her and then another and another.

“Harper…” Shad released her nipple and looked down between them, frowning disapprovingly. “Harper, look at this—look where I am.”

Biting her lip, Harper looked down to see that over half the big Kindred’s thick length was impaling her pussy. She was stretched tight around him but it felt so good.

“Oh,” she whispered, squeezing her inner muscles nervously. “I…I’m sorry, Shad. I don’t know how that happened. I think when you suck my breasts it just makes me so much more slippery down there…”

“Apparently,” he rumbled, still frowning. “Harper, please I don’t want to get you—”

“I know, you don’t want to get me pregnant and leave me with a baby to raise on my own,” she whispered. “Or bond with me and then have to break it. I don’t want that either. But Shad, just being inside me isn’t going to get me pregnant or form a bond. I feel so empty inside. Even if you won’t come in me, can’t you at least fill me completely? I think it would help me feel better—help me get over some of the effects of the Blood Honey.”

“Well…” She could see the indecision in his shifting white and rainbow eyes.

“Please,” she whispered pleadingly, lowering herself down just a little more. “Please, Shad—let me feel you all the way inside me, filling me up while you suck my breasts.”

“Gods, sweetheart, we shouldn’t…”

But he was already pulling her down onto him, thrusting the rest of his long, thick shaft into her open, willing pussy.

Harper sighed in relief when she finally felt him bottom out inside her. God, it felt good to have him all the way in her pussy! Having his thick cock stretching her inner walls, the broad head kissing the mouth of her womb, felt like exactly what she needed…well, almost.

“You’ll need him to breed you hard,” Brynn had said. “Don’t be ashamed of that. Take what you need.”

That was exactly what Harper needed and she tried to take it, just as the other girl had advised. As Shad leaned forward and took one of her nipples into his hot mouth again, she began to work herself on his thickness, raising up and lowering herself down, loving the intimate friction of his cock deep in her pussy.

“Harper,” Shad growled, releasing her nipple again. “What are you doing?”

“Just…just moving a little,” she whispered breathlessly as she rocked back and forth on him, taking him as deeply into her wet depths as she could manage.

“You’re fucking yourself on me,” Shad said sternly and then groaned softly. “Gods, baby, you’re fucking your hot little pussy on my cock.”

“Oh, Shad,” Harper didn’t know if he meant to talk dirty to her or not but the hot words growled in that low, almost-angry tone sent a shiver of pure lust through her entire body. “I can’t help it!” she moaned, bracing her hands on his broad shoulders to try and get better leverage. “I need this, Shad—I need you. Not only that, I need you in me hard. Can’t you please just…just fuck me a little bit while you suck my nipples? Please?”

“Fuck you just a little bit, hmm?” he snarled softly.

“Hard,” Harper emphasized again. “Please, Shad—I’m so empty inside. I can’t do this on my own—I need you to fuck me.”

It was as though her words released something inside him—some beast he’d been keeping caged. With a low, possessive growl, he gripped her by the hips, his fingers digging into her flesh until Harper was certain she was going to have bruises. Then he pulled almost all the way out…and slammed back into her, filling her to the brim, battering the inside of her tender pussy with the hard ram of his cock.

Harper threw back her head and wailed as a pleasure too deep for words overcame her. She dug her nails into his shoulders and arched her back, spreading her thighs wider for his cock, begging wordlessly for more…more…more.

Shad gave it to her. Wrapping one muscular arm around her waist to hold her in place, he rammed himself into her, filling her to the limit, stretching her inner walls as the head of his shaft hit bottom inside her with each hard, pounding stroke.

“Yes…yes, please yes, Shad!”

Harper heard herself gasping and begging, wanting more, always more and harder, always harder. She’d never had sex like this—so hard and deep and animalistic. She’d never felt the edge of pleasure and pain converge inside her so deeply but she knew this still wasn’t all she needed.

Need him to come inside me, she thought and knew it was true. Need to feel him coming, spurting deep in my pussy—filling me with his seed.

But would Shad do it? He’d spent so much time during the various time paths they’d taken avoiding this exact scenario. Suddenly she had an idea.

“Shad,” she gasped, still holding onto his shoulders. “Shad—come in me! Seal the bond!”

He slowed his thrusts and started to protest but she shook her head, overriding him.

“Maybe this is the way,” she panted, rolling her hips to keep up their rhythm. “Don’t…don’t you see? Commander Sylvan said you needed something to…to anchor you here. Maybe the bond will do it!”

His eyes widened and she could see him considering it. To help him decide, she squeezed him tight with her inner muscles, wiling him to come…willing him to tie the two of them together forever.

At last, he nodded.

“All right,” he said hoarsely. “I don’t know if it will work but I’ll try it. We have to cure you of the Blood Honey too and I guess this is the only way.”

“Come in me,” Harper urged him again.

“Not until you come first, sweetheart.” As he spoke, one big hand slid from her waist to the place where they were joined.

Harper gave a soft cry of pure lust when she felt the broad pad of his thumb slide into her slippery folds and begin slipping back and forth over her clit.

“Shad,” she begged. “God, that feels so good! Do that—touch me while you fuck me! Make me come on your cock!”

Her dirty talk seemed to have the same effect on Shad that his had had on her. He groaned and his white eyes went half-lidded with pure lust. Then, as he continued to stroke her throbbing clit, he began pumping inside her again, taking her with long, hard thrusts that felt like exactly what she needed.

“That’s right, baby,” she moaned. “Need you to pound me—pound me hard.”

“Going…as hard as I can without…hurting you,” Shad growled hoarsely.

“You won’t hurt me,” Harper promised breathlessly. “Just need you in me deep and long and hard. Just need to feel you filling me up!”

Suddenly she felt her orgasm approaching. She’d been on the edge so long that it took her almost by surprise when it finally hit, crashing over her like a warm wave at the beach she hadn’t seen coming.

“Shad!” she cried, her toes curling, her nails biting into his shoulders as she rode him as hard as she could. “Oh God, Shad! Coming…you’re making me come so hard, baby!”

“Gods, Kallana, I can feel you coming all around me! Can feel your tight little pussy squeezing my cock,” he groaned as he thrust inside her. “Love you, Harper—love you so damn much!”

And then he allowed her orgasm to trigger his own. Pulling her down hard onto his cock, he thrust as deeply into her as he could and Harper felt something hot and wet pulsing inside her, finally curing the empty ache inside her.

“Shad,” she moaned and heard her answer, but not with her ears.

“I love you, Kallana. We’re bonded now—bonded forever.”

“We are?” Harper asked, and realized she was thinking at him rather than talking.

“We are,” he affirmed and sighed heavily. “I just pray to the Goddess we won’t regret it.”

“I could never regret being with you,” Harper assured him. “I love you, Shad. And I’m sure making love like this—bonding—will help anchor you here, in this time with me.”

“I pray to the Goddess you’re right, Kallana,” he murmured. But to Harper, he didn’t sound at all certain.

Chapter Twenty-nine

The final fading happened sometime in the middle of the night, after they had drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.

Shad felt it happening—felt himself starting to go—and it woke him up. It was gradual this time, the feeling of insubstantiality growing slowly and spreading though him in a tingling wave. But for all its creeping slowness, there was a feeling of finality too—as though this time he wasn’t coming back.

“Harper,” he tried to say. She was curled in his arms, her face pressed against his chest. Shad could suddenly see her face through his own upper arm, peaceful and relaxed in sleep. He tried again to speak her name but somehow he couldn’t make his throat work—it was as though he was becoming a ghost. Then he remembered he didn’t have to use his voice.

“Harper,” he tried again, this time using their newly formed bond. And Goddess, it was so unfair! To think it was only the second time he’d used the intimate connection between them and it had to be to rouse her and tell her he was going. “Harper please,” he sent again through their link. “Please wake up!”

“Shad?” Her eyelids fluttered open and she fumbled for the light switch before she apparently remembered what he’d told her about settings on the Mother Ship. “Lights, dim!” she called to the room around them.

As a dim, golden glow lit the corners of the room, Shad was able to see the panic in her lovely face.

“Shad?” she demanded, putting out a hand to touch him. “Shad, what’s going on? I…I can see through you!”

“You know what’s going on, sweetheart,” he sent to her. “I’m fading—being drawn back to my own time.”

“But you can’t go now!” Harper exclaimed wildly. “We anchored you here—we bonded!”

“And now I wish we hadn’t,” Shad sent wearily. “For now you’ll have to endure the pain of my loss as I will endure the pain of yours. I’m so sorry, Harper.”

“Don’t apologize,” she sent fiercely, using the precious link too. “I’m not sorry we’re bonded, no matter how much it hurts! I’ll never be sorry and I won’t let you go!”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him and Shad clung to her. But he could feel himself growing more and more insubstantial, losing his grip on both Harper and the present time.

“Harper,” he mind-whispered. “Harper, I love y—”

And then he faded completely and everything was blackness.

* * * * *

Harper couldn’t believe he was actually gone. It felt like some kind of bad dream she was certain she’d wake up from. She felt around for him desperately, her fingers searching the indentation on his side of the bed. It was still warm from the heat of his big body—it still smelled like him, that dark, spicy scent she’d come to love so much.

“Shad,” she begged brokenly. “Shad, come back to me. Please don’t leave me all alone here. Please, just come back.”

But Shad wasn’t there anymore and after a while, Harper had to acknowledge he wasn’t coming back.

There were no words for the grief that flooded over her then—it consumed her completely, closing over her head like dark waters, drowning her in despair.

With a low wail, she curled herself around his pillow and lay where he had been so recently, willing the last of his heat to seep into her cold heart, to warm her even a little.

But she was cold…so cold during the rest of that sleepless night and she knew she would remain cold.

Cold and alone the rest of her life.

Chapter Thirty

Shad regained consciousness in the middle of the Sacred Grove—the special spot dedicated to the Goddess which was the very heart of the Mother Ship.

It was shady and quiet among the green and purple leaves and at first he thought he’d simply been transported somehow from the bed he’d so lately shared with Harper to the center of the ship.

Then he became aware of two things—one, he was naked and two, there were voices—familiar voices—just outside the screen of rustling leaves.

“Come on, Ziza, why won’t you give us a chance?” It was War, Shad’s Dark Twin brother—there was no mistaking his tone.

“My brother is right—you should at least allow us to prove we’re serious in our affections for you,” Peace, the Light Twin brother said.

“Well…I don’t know.” Ziza’s tone was light and teasing and when Shad peered through the tree branches, he saw that her gold-on-black eyes were laughing. “You boys think the two of you could handle me? Because I don’t know if two is enough. I’ve been thinking maybe I should travel to Gamish Prime where I hear they have three males to each female—maybe that would be more my style.”

“Be serious, Ziza.” War’s dark auburn hair, so like their mother’s, gleamed in the light of the Mother Ship’s green sun.

“You know we love you,” Peace said quietly. His sandy brown hair, so like their Light Twin father’s, also gleamed mellowly in the sunshine and his blue eyes were serious. “We’ve loved you since we were all children together.”

“Is that so?” Ziza’a hair was long and black, her skin almost the same café au lait brown as Harper’s had been. Her unique eyes were pure velvety black where the whites should have been with golden pupils—truly she was a perfect mixture of her Earth mother, Lauren, and her Scourge father, Xairn.

Further off, through the trees, Shad could see Kara and Kaleb, Sylvan and Sophia’s twins. Though he couldn’t hear what they were saying, it looked like they were deep in some philosophical conversation or other. They loved to argue and debate each other, Shad remembered, but if anyone should come along and join one side or the other, the twins would close ranks against him immediately.

Kaleb was especially protective of Kara because she was something of an anomaly—a Blood Kindred female who had fangs. Normally among the Blood Kindred, only males had the double set of fangs which were used to inject essence for either healing or bonding a mate. Males wanted to be the ones doing the biting—not many were anxious to be bitten themselves—it was considered emasculating. Which meant that Kara, as lovely as she was, didn’t exactly have many suitors. She mostly stuck close to her twin and her cousins.

Shad watched the twins curiously. They were close…so close, but not to the exclusion of everyone else, as they had been in the awful Hive-ruled dystopian world he had left behind. He could tell because as he watched, Daniel came up and said something which made them both smile. Kara’s high, silvery laugh rang out over the park-like expanse of green and purple grass that extended all around the Sacred Grove before she covered her mouth to hide her fangs. Shad marveled to hear the sweet sound—when was the last time he’d heard his cousin laugh like that?

Never, he thought. She never laughed again after the Hive took over. But in this time, in this reality, that never happened.

War…Peace…Ziza…Daniel…Kara…Kaleb and so many more. All here. All still alive. Finally everything he was seeing hit home with Shad.

I’m back in my own time and at the exact age I was when I first started traveling the time loop! My brothers and Ziza—everyone I lost—they’re alive again. The Mother Ship is intact—the Hive is defeated. Finally the past has truly been changed. The Kindred are well and safe—my people live!

Shad’s heart swelled with the knowledge…and then ached when he remembered what he’d sacrificed to make this happen.

Harper, he thought, clenching his fists at his sides. Harper, I left you alone—all alone. Oh Gods, Kallana, I’m sorry—so damn sorry!

But hadn’t he promised to find her? Shad didn’t give a damn what the age difference was in this time—he intended to find the woman he loved and renew their bond. In fact, maybe he could reach her now…

Closing his eyes, he reached out, sending a message through their mental link.

“Harper, sweetheart—can you hear me? Harper, I’m back on the Mother Ship—I love you! I’ll always love you!”

But his message met only silence and the ache of an empty bond.

Shad had a sudden, horrible thought.

What if she died somehow? Twenty cycles is a long time. What if some disease or accident carried her away while she waited for me? What if I never see her again?

But no, he couldn’t think like that. It was much more probable that she was down on Earth, out of range of their mental link.

I’ll find her, Shad swore to himself. No matter how far I have to go or what I have to do—I’ll find her!

He looked down at himself, naked as he was. Well, he couldn’t find her looking like this.

“War,” he called, pitching his voice low to get his brother’s attention. “Peace, I need your help. And ask Ziza to wait over there with Kara and Kaleb and Daniel, all right?”

He had to hurry—he was going to get some clothes on and find Harper, no matter how far away she was.

* * * * *

“Girl, you need to get hold of yourself.”

“Huh?” Harper’s mother’s voice seemed to cut through the fog that had surrounded her for days now. She looked up from the empty fireplace she’d been contemplating. Why did they bother to build fireplaces in houses in Florida anyway? It was only cold enough to use them maybe one or two days out of the year. And it was almost March now—the brief winter which usually lasted only a month or two was pretty much over. So why—

“There you go, drifting off again!” Her mother came to stand in front of her, hands on her ample hips, and gave Harper a worried frown. “What’s gotten into you, child?”

“I…don’t know.” Harper looked away, not wanting to fight. Not wanting to do much of anything but just stare into the fireplace and wait for the random thoughts to take her away. Sometimes she could forget what had happened for whole minutes at a time—minutes of blessed numbness—minutes without the unimaginable pain of loss. They were bliss.

“No, look at me. Look at me!” Harper’s mother insisted. “Don’t you go drifting off again, I mean it!”

Reluctantly, Harper met her mother’s eyes again.

“What is it? What do you want?”

“What I want to know is what’s going on with you,” her mother exclaimed. “You’ve been like this for weeks. I want to know what happened—you haven’t been the same since that trip you took to the beach back in January.”

“You want to know…what happened?” Harper repeated dully. She searched for words but they simply wouldn’t come.

How could she explain to her mother how much that “short” trip to the beach had encompassed? How she’d gone on a wild, mind-blowing adventure and fallen desperately, helplessly, hopelessly in love with Shad. How together they had saved the Earth from a Hive invasion and the Kindred Mother Ship from destruction…and had lost each other completely as a result.

“Yes, Harper—what happened?” Her mother sat beside her on the couch and put a hand on Harper’s shoulder. Her deep brown eyes were filled with anxiety. “Your step father and I are worried about you, honey. You were talking about getting your own place again right after Christmas but now you hardly leave your room. And I keep hearing you calling in sick to work.”

Harper looked away. “I don’t feel good.”

“You’re not going to keep your job for long if you keep on like that, Harper,” her mother lectured earnestly. “And I know how much your career means to you. I saw how hard you worked to get where you are. Why are you throwing it all away? Why are you acting like this?”

Harper tried to suppress a sigh. Clearly her mom was not going away until she got an explanation but if she tried to tell her exactly what had happened, her mom would think she was crazy. Still, she had to tell her something.

“Mom,” she began, not knowing exactly how to put it. “That day on the beach I…I met someone.”

“Someone? You mean some man? Did someone attack you, baby? Hurt you?” her mother exclaimed, her hand tightening on Harper’s arm.

“If by hurt me you mean he left me and I’ll probably never see him again, then yes,” Harper said in a low voice. “It wasn’t his fault but he hurt me just the same.”

“So…you’re upset because this man you just met didn’t want to have a relationship?” Her mother still looked worried and confused. “But honey, if you just met him—”

“It wasn’t like that!” Harper became aware that she sounded like a petulant teenager. God, she really did need to get out and get a place of her own—she was reverting to high school here! But she was so tired all the time. The ache of Shad’s absence—the ache of what he had called ‘the empty bond’ was so deep, so all-encompassing. It seemed to sap all her energy—most days all she wanted was to stay in bed and sleep and try to forget.

Of course, Harper knew she couldn’t live like that—she couldn’t sleep her life away, as much as she might wish to. Shad wouldn’t have wanted that—he would have wanted her to go on, to try to be happy, to have a life until they could meet again. But oh God, that was at least twenty years in the future! How could she possibly last that long?

The very thought of all those years without him made Harper feel weary beyond imagining. So weary she could lie down and sleep forever. So weary she could die.

No—can’t think like that. Have to try. Have to go on.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” she said, trying to start again. “I know I’m not explaining this right but that’s because it’s really hard to explain. What I’m trying to say is that I really cared for this guy. I know that sounds crazy if you think we were only together for a day but it was more…so much more than that. I just feel…so sad all the time. So tired.”

“Oh, honey…” Her mom put a comforting arm around Harper’s shoulders. “I know this sounds crazy but the way you’ve been acting—you remind me of myself after your father left me.” She shook her head. “I loved that man so awful much, but he was like poison candy. Sweet to taste but he kept on making me sick. When he finally left it was probably the best day and worst day of my life at the same time.”

“Well this was just the worst day,” Harper said in a low voice. “Shad was a good guy and I…I loved him very much in the short time we had together. And he didn’t leave me on purpose he…he was taken away.”

The words seemed to stick in her throat as she remembered waking to the feeling of him fading in her arms, hearing his stricken voice in her head through their bond as he told her he loved her one last time…

“Oh, honey!” Her mother sounded more distressed than ever but just then the doorbell rang, interrupting the difficult scene. “Now, who could that be?” Harper’s mother fussed, frowning. “I’m not expecting anyone.”

“You’d better go see.” Harper had been just on the edge of tears and now she sniffed hard, willing herself not to cry. If her mother would just leave, if she would stop making her talk about it, maybe Harper could go back to staring at the empty, dusty fireplace and thinking about nothing.

“Will you be okay?” Her mother asked. She was already getting up to go to the door.

Harper nodded. “Fine. Go see who it is.” She was already staring at the empty grate again. Forget, she told herself. It hurts less if you just forget…

“Hi, I’m really sorry to bother you without any kind of advanced warning but could I please speak to Harper Wilde?”

“Oh, well I…who are you?” Her mother sounded flustered and Harper could tell whoever it was must be a stranger.

She didn’t feel like meeting any strangers—didn’t feel like meeting anyone. She began to get up, thinking about sneaking out of the den by the kitchen entrance and going back upstairs where she could be alone.

But the person at the door was too fast for her. Before Harper could even get off the couch, a full figured, red-haired woman with big blue eyes entered the room. Behind her were two tall Kindred males, one with black hair and black eyes the other with sandy brown hair and deep brown eyes. Though their coloring was so different, there was enough resemblance about their faces to make Harper think they must be related.

“Harper,” her mother said, coming in behind them with a helpless look on her face. “These…people are here to see you.”

“Um…” Harper stood up and held out a hand, not sure what to expect. “I’m sorry—do I know you?” Clearly they were from the Mother Ship but she was certain she’d never seen them in her life.

“You don’t but you will—at least, I hope you will—in the future,” the woman said. “I’m Kat and these are my husbands, Deep and Lock.” The two Kindred warriors nodded as she spoke their names. “I know you don’t recognize us, hon,” she said, still looking earnestly at Harper. “But, well, we’re your in-laws.”

Chapter Thirty-one

Harper couldn’t have been more surprised if the woman had announced she was the Queen of England.

“I’m sorry,” she said, almost stumbling over the words. “Who did you say you are?”

“I’m your mother-in-law and these two…” The red-haired woman who had called herself Kat nodded at the two tall Kindred warriors. “These are your fathers-in-law.” She came forward and took Harper by the hand. “I know you bonded with Shad before he was called away,” she said in a low, earnest voice. “You left too quickly for us to get to know you but I want to change that—I want to make it right.”

“You…know Shad and I bonded?” Harper shook her head. “But I didn’t tell anybody. How could you know?”

“Shad told us,” rumbled the Kindred with black hair and eyes whom Kat had introduced as Deep.

“He did?” Harper asked uncertainly. “But…how? Do you have some way to communicate with him in, the, uh in the future?”

“I’m afraid not,” the brown-haired Kindred called Lock said gently. “We didn’t speak to future-Shad, for want of a better way to say it. We talked to present-day Shad. Or rather—he talked to us.”

“In our time—in the present, now—he’s still a little boy,” Kat explained. “But he’s always been a special child. He’s always just known things. And, well…” She gestured helplessly. “He told us that you were bonded to his future self and that we needed to come and see you.” She raised her hands, palm up. “So here we are.”

“Harper?” Her mother was looking back and forth from the visitors to her. “Honey, none of this makes any sense. Do you want me to get your step father to ask these people to leave?”

“No, mom.” Harper shook her head quickly. “No, I know it doesn’t make any sense to you but believe me, it makes perfect sense to me. Please just let us talk for a little while.”

“Well…all right.” Her mom looked at her worriedly. “Would anybody like anything to drink?” she asked, obviously trying to be a good hostess despite how confusing her guests were.

“Some water would be great.” Kat smiled at her gratefully. “I’m so thirsty. Or maybe some ice tea?”

“I don’t have any on hand but I can make some up,” Harper’s mother said.

“Oh, would you?” Kat exclaimed. “That would be so nice of you! I haven’t had really good sweet tea in ages—it’s just one of those things it’s really hard to get up on the Mother Ship.”

“All right. Well, you all just…make yourselves at home.” A bemused look on her face, Harper’s mother wandered into the kitchen.

Harper looked at Kat gratefully—she knew what the other woman was doing—buying them some time to talk, really talk without sounding crazy in front of her mom.

“Thanks,” she said in a low voice. “So…Shad the little boy told you I was bonded to Shad the man?”

Kat nodded, her red hair gleaming. She certainly was pretty, Harper thought, though it was hard to think of her as a mother-in-law. She was so young—probably the same age as Harper herself if not just a little younger.

“We didn’t want to bother you in your time of grief,” Lock said gently. “But Shadow, well…”

“He’s been waking up with bad dreams for weeks,” Deep rumbled. “He’s been begging to come see you—telling us we needed to come see you.”

“He has?” Harper shook her head. “I don’t understand—why?”

“He says the Goddess has something to say to you,” Kat said with a perfectly straight face. “I’m sorry—I don’t know if you’re a believer or not, in the Kindred Goddess, I mean—but she is real. And she speaks to Shad quite often, or so he tells us.”

“Yes, he told me that too.” Harper nodded. “I…I believe. After everything I’ve seen—everything Shad and I went through together—of course I believe.” She shrugged. “But if the Goddess wants to talk to me, why doesn’t she just talk?”

“Shad says she needs you to come up to the Sacred Grove for some reason,” Lock said. “We don’t understand it ourselves but he’s been very insistent.”

“We finally had to come down here and ask you to come back with us,” Kat said apologetically. “Although we’re aware you might not want to see us. It might…remind you too much of Shad.”

Harper felt a lump rise in her throat but somehow she managed to swallow it down again.

“Of course I want to see you,” she said in a voice choked with emotion. “Of course I want to meet Shad’s family. I’m just…” She sniffed. “Just so sorry I didn’t try to meet you earlier, back when I was on the Mother Ship. I was in a bad place and I didn’t even think—”

Suddenly the front door crashed open and a high, childish voice could be heard.

“The pretty lady! The pretty lady! Harper!”

A little boy with velvety black eyes and hair so blond it was practically white came barreling into the room and headed straight for Harper.

“Shad, no!” Kat looked aghast. “What are you even doing here?” she exclaimed.

The little boy ignored her and threw himself into Harper’s arms. Enthusiastically, he gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek.

“Harper!” he exclaimed. “You have to come back to the Mother Ship with us. The Goddess told me so—you have to!”

“I…I…” Harper didn’t know what to say—how to reconcile this sweet little boy with the man he would grow into—the man she would come to love. Though his hair and eye coloring were different, she could see the ghost of Shad’s chiseled features in the soft, childish face and hear the beginnings of that familiar voice when he spoke, though it would be years before it reached its deep adult timbre.

“I’m so sorry.” Kat got up and reached for Shad. “He must have stowed away in the ship. I never would have let him come down here to upset you on purpose, I promise, hon.”

“No, no—it’s okay.” Harper held the younger Shad in her lap. She was aware of what a strange situation this was but somehow she couldn’t let him go. “Why do I need to come with you?” she asked the little boy. “Do you know why the Goddess wants me to come?”

“She said it’s time.” He nodded with absolute certainty. “She said you should say goodbye to your mom for a while—maybe for a long time.” He looked at his own mother and then back at Harper. “That’s really sad, I know. But the Goddess says to tell you you’ll be happy again soon. But you have to come to the Mother Ship in order for that to happen.”

Harper felt a flutter of hope around her heart. She couldn’t help remembering how Shad had told her that the Kindred Goddess talked to him as a child…and how she had told him from an early age that Harper was his reason for existence. Could it be she was speaking to him again—giving him a message to give to Harper so that she might see his older self again?

“You see how he is,” Kat said, almost apologetically. “I know it sounds crazy but, well—will you come? Even if nothing happens we’d love to have you as a guest and get to know you for a little while.” She smiled. “You’re so gorgeous—I can see why Shad would fall for you.”

“Thank you. And yes,” Harper whispered, her heart in her throat. “Yes, I…I’ll come.”

“Come where?” Her mother appeared in the door of the den, a tray full of ice tea glasses in her hands. “Where are you going, Harper?”

Harper took a deep breath and rose. Keeping the younger Shad’s hand in hers, she turned to her mother.

“Mom,” she said. “Don’t get upset but I need to go with these people. And I might be gone for kind of a long time.”

Chapter Thirty-two

“You have come today to ask a boon of the Goddess.” The priestess who met them at the Sacred Grove was obviously one of the extremely rare female Kindred. She was well over six feet tall with long brown hair streaked with green. Her eyes, also, were unusual—both the whites and the irises were different shades of green. The green-within-green eyes, Kat had explained in a low voice, were often a hallmark of the priestesses of the Goddess.

“Yes.” Harper bowed her head respectfully. She was dressed in nothing but a simple white robe which fell to her ankles and the grass felt cool and prickly against her bare feet. She didn’t know what to expect from this meeting in the Sacred Grove and she was trying desperately to keep her hopes in check. But she couldn’t get the young Shad’s words out of her head.

“The Goddess says it’s time,” he’d told her.

But time for what? Time to go to Shad—the older Shad—who she hoped was waiting for her in the future? Or simply time to meet her in-laws and get to know them?

Kat and Deep and Lock and all their children were wonderful—especially little Shad who could make her laugh one minute and make her heart ache fiercely the next, when she remembered his older self. But Harper couldn’t stop hoping that she would soon be with the man she loved—held in his strong arms once more as she felt the bond between them come to life again.

“The Goddess has spoken to me of you.” The priestess, who had looked so forbidding at first, got a gentler look in her green-within-green eyes. “She tells me you have suffered much and have sacrificed much and that it is time for you to have your reward.”

“And what…what is that?” Harper asked hesitantly and Kat squeezed her hand. She was there with Harper for moral support, though the rest of the family had been left outside the Sacred Grove.

“It is that which you seek,” the priestess said obliquely.

Harper felt a surge of impatience but she kept it in check. Kat had told her how maddeningly opaque the priestesses of the Sacred Grove could be.

“Thank you,” she said simply.

“Are you ready to rejoin him whom you love and are bonded to?” the priestess asked. “Have you made your peace and said your goodbyes? The Goddess is a mother too and she did not wish to grieve the heart of another mother—this is why she gave you time to make peace with those in your home.”

“I’m ready,” Harper assured her. It hadn’t been easy explaining things to her mother—she’d ended up with the idea that Harper was going off-world somewhere to be with a Kindred warrior she had fallen in love with. It was the closest Harper could come to explaining the convoluted situation without making her mom think she was crazy by bringing time-travel into the mix. But at last, her mother had thrown up her hands and given Harper her blessing.

“I can see you love this young man,” she’d said to Harper. “And I trust your judgment, honey. I didn’t raise you to be a fool.” Her eyes had grown wistful. “Are you sure you’re going to be gone for such a long time? You can’t even come back once to visit?”

Harper’s heart had ached at that.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” she’d said as gently as she could. “But I don’t think it’s going to be possible. Shad is a long, long way away from here. I wouldn’t go if I didn’t love him so much but I just…” She put a hand to her chest. “I feel like I’m dying inside without him.”

“I can see that.” There were tears in her mother’s eyes as she hugged Harper for the last time. “You be sure he treats you right. And if he doesn’t, you know you can always come back home.”

Of course, Harper knew that if this worked—if she really was somehow able to go twenty years into the future—there would be no going back, but she couldn’t tell her mother that.

“I love you, Mom,” she said, hugging her back. “And I promise I’ll see you again as soon as I can.”

With the memory of her mother’s warm hug and her last kiss on the cheek, Harper stood before the priestess now. Nothing but the ache of the empty bond and the deep, all-encompassing love she felt for Shad could have made her willing to leave her family for such a long time. She saw now that she’d had to experience the pain of his loss and process it a little in order to make this decision. But now it was made and she wanted to go—she just hoped and prayed the priestess could help her.

“I’m ready,” she said again. “Please—can you truly send me to Shad?”

“I cannot,” the priestess said. “But the Goddess can.”

Suddenly a brilliant line of light seemed to split the air right in front of Harper. It was a golden radiance so dazzling it was hard to look at, yet Harper found she couldn’t take her eyes away as it began to grow.

The line of light widened until it resembled a doorway cracked open just wide enough for Harper to step inside.

“Come daughter.” A warm, powerful, feminine voice filled the Sacred Grove. “I know you are longing to be with the male you are bonded to. Come forward and meet him once again.”

Harper’s breath seemed to be caught in her throat and she didn’t know what to say. She turned to Kat who gave her a spontaneous hug and smiled.

“Go on, doll,” she murmured in Harper’s ear. “Go be with Shad I’ll see you in twenty years or so.”

“Thank you,” Harper breathed.

She stepped through the doorway of light…

And vanished.

Chapter Thirty-three

Harper had expected to see Shad the minute she stepped through the doorway. Instead she found herself in a small, plain room furnished with a rough wooden table and a single chair.

On the chair sat a small man with a pair of gold, antique-looking spectacles on his nose. He was dressed like someone out of a Charles Dickens novel in old-fashioned looking brown trousers and a black waistcoat with beautiful, curling embroidery on the front. Hanging from the front of this lovely piece of clothing was a fine-link gold chain with an antique watch attached to it.

“So, you’ve arrived.” The little man spoke without lifting his head. He was hunched over the table working on something that glowed and shimmered. No matter how much Harper stared at it, she couldn’t decide exactly what it was—it shifted around so much in his small, deft hands it was impossible to tell.

“Um…yes.” Harper looked around her. “Where am I, please? I thought I was going to be with my, uh, bonded mate, Shad.” It seemed strange to call him that but she knew it was what the Kindred and their wives called each other.

“Yes, yes—that’s what the Goddess—the Mother of All Life—said as well. She has asked that I open a portal into your future and I have agreed.” He sighed and put down the strange glowing object to look at her at last. “Are you ready then? Do you have questions?”

“Questions? Um—well, who are you?” Harper asked the first thing that came to mind. Her eyes caught on his old-fashioned looking pocket watch. “Wait—are you the Time Warden? The one who gave Shad the looper that made him able to come save me in the first place?”

“Precisely, my dear.” The little man looked extremely pleased—a smile lighting his small, plain face. “Yes, I am he. I was charged by the Mother of All Life with helping to preserve her children and so I did for I see that…” He picked up the glowing thing he’d been working on and stared at it intently. “I see that you are going to a future which is much altered from the one which Shadow left when he first came back in time to get you.”

“So everything is all right there?” Harper asked. “I mean, I know we defeated the Hive and they’re all dead—”

“I beg your pardon,” the Time Warden said sharply. “They are not all dead. But do not worry,” he added, clearly seeing the anxiety on Harper’s face. “They do not survive in the form you knew them in and they do not look likely to wipe out the entire Kindred race or take over the Earth.” He frowned and peered into the shiny thing again. “Although one of them may yet cause you a spot of trouble.”

“They will? How?” Harper asked anxiously.

But the Time Warden shook his head.

“I may not tell details of the things I see in the future—too much detail can cause a paradox.”

“What about me leaving my own present to live in the future?” Harper asked. “Won’t that cause some kind of paradox or a rip in the spacetime continuum or something like that?”

The Time Warden laughed. “My dear, I’m afraid you’ve been reading too much science fiction. I control the threads of time and believe me, I would not have manipulated them for you if by doing so I would have warped or torn the fabric of the universe.”

“So…it’s okay for me to go? I won’t change the future by not living in the present?” Harper persisted. She wanted to be with Shad no matter what, but she was curious about what effect her absence in the present would make.

“Hmmm…” The Time Warden consulted the glowing thing in his hand again. “Well, if you were to remain in the present I see that you would quit your marketing job and go back to school in order to become a veterinarian, which was always your dream anyway. You would open your own small animal practice and be quite successful.” He looked up at her. “Would you rather go back and live your own present and do those things?”

“No,” Harper said at once. “No, I want to be with Shad.”

He nodded, a smile playing around the corners of his thin-lipped mouth.

“As I thought. The Mother of All Life was right about you—you are devoted to your mate.”

“I miss him so much.” Harper heard the longing in her own voice and didn’t even try to control it. “Please, can you send me to him?”

“I can and I will.” He smiled at her. “And please tell him, for his peace of mind, that the past he fought so hard to change—the time path where the Hive destroyed the Mother Ship and took over the Earth—is completely and irrevocably closed. Only you and he will remember the events that happened in that altered path for it is how you met and came together in the first place.”

“But…will we meet? In the past I mean, if that path never happened?” Harper protested.

“You will because you have,” he said simply. “Just because no one else lived through that meeting in that other time path doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Although,” he added thoughtfully. “You might have to make up a small…fiction to explain how the two of you fell in love and mated when speaking to people whose realities were altered. Shad’s brothers and his cousins and friends may find it difficult to hear that they went through a season of Hell—even if it was in another time line that they do not remember.”

Harper smiled. “I think we can do that. I’ll tell Shad when I see him.” She looked at the little man hopefully. “Now…could you send me to him please?”

“Of course, my dear. But I’m afraid you’re going to have to leave your robe here.” He nodded at her simple white garment. “Nothing but living tissue can travel through time.”

“Oh…” Harper blushed. “Should I…take it off?”

He nodded. “Simply shed it before you enter the door.”

“What door?” Harper asked but when she turned her head, she saw a blazing line of light again—just as she had in the Sacred Grove. “Oh…” she breathed, stepping towards it as it grew, opening to admit her.

“Safe travels,” the Time Warden said. “And a long and happy life to you, my dear.”

“Thank you,” Harper murmured but she wasn’t looking at him as she spoke. Her eyes were fixed on the lighted doorway which led to the future…and Shad.

Taking a deep breath, she let the robe fall to her feet and stepped through.

* * * * *

“She must be somewhere on Earth,” Peace said reasonably in his deep, quiet voice. He was the one Shad had chosen to confide in and tell the story of the altered time path and his lost mate. That was because Peace, of all his siblings, cousins, and friends, was the best listener and the most likely, Shad felt, to believe him.

“I tell you, I’ve looked everywhere.” Shad sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s been months and I can’t find her anywhere either on Earth or any other Kindred home world. It’s like she just…vanished shortly after I was drawn back to my own time.”

“Tell me again what her mother said.” Peace frowned thoughtfully and looked down at the grassy ground.

They were walking up and down outside the Sacred Grove—a place Shad had been drawn to ever since his return to the Mother Ship of his own time, although he didn’t know why. It seemed to bring him peace somehow to be near the shrine of the Goddess. And since he couldn’t find Harper anywhere, he sorely needed all the peace he could get.

“She said Harper told her she was leaving to be with a Kindred warrior she’d fallen in love with and she was going far away and probably wouldn’t be back for a while,” Shad recited, although the words made him feel sick. “But what other Kindred would she go with? And why? She’s mated to me—did our bond mean so little to her?”

“I’m sure it meant everything to her,” Peace said reasonably. “Maybe her mother got the details wrong somehow. After all, didn’t you say she was somewhat elderly? Maybe her memory is failing.”

“I don’t know,” Shad said bitterly. “All I know is that the bond I have to Harper aches with emptiness and she’s nowhere to be found, Goddess damn it. I just—”

“Shad…” There was something in his brother’s voice that made Shad look up. Peace was staring into the trees that filled the Sacred Grove, a strange look on his face.

“What is it? I don’t—” The words died on Shad’s lips. For somewhere in the center of the grove a light was glimmering—a light which grew brighter all the time, so bright it was almost blinding. Yet he couldn’t look away.

“What is that?” Peace asked, sounding bewildered. “Are the priestesses doing some kind of new ritual or ceremony?”

“I don’t know.” Shad was already toeing off his boots and striding in among the trees. Pushing the branches full of green and purple leaves aside, he watched in awe as the pinpoint of light grew, lengthening into a line. Then it began to widen.

“What is it?” Peace was right beside him, eyes wide.

“I think…” Shad’s voice was strangled as he tried ruthlessly to hold back the hope that threatened to choke him. “I think it’s a time door.”

The line of light widened, becoming a wedge like a door cracked open and a warm, powerful, familiar feminine voice filled the Sacred Grove.

“Warrior,” it said. “Take back your own.”

And then someone stepped out of the brilliant wedge of light—someone with warm café au lait skin, long, curly, toffee colored hair, and jade green eyes.

It was Harper—but not twenty years older as he had thought he would next see her. She looked just as she had when he had left her, young and lovely and…completely naked.

She blinked her eyes as though blinded by the light and looked around blindly.

“Harper?” Shad could scarcely believe it. “Goddess, Harper—is that you?”

“Shad?” She reached for him tentatively and he grabbed her and pulled her to him.

“Sweetheart—Kallana,” he growled. “Gods, you feel so good in my arms! Is it really you?”

“Oh, Shad!” She was laughing and crying at the same time. “It’s me—it’s really me! I—”

But Shad cut her off with a kiss.

Her mouth tasted so sweet—just as he remembered—and her soft, curvy body was so firm and yet at the same time, perfectly yielding in his arms. Shad felt like he couldn’t get enough of her, like he never wanted to let her go. He swung her up so that her legs were locked around his waist and held her tightly, rubbing his hands up and down her bare back, wanting to assure himself through touch and taste and the sweet, wild scent of her that she was real and really here with him at last.

At last the frantic kiss broke—mostly because both of them ran out of breath. Harper kept stroking her fingers through his hair and framing his face with her hands as she stared into his eyes. It was as though she, too, was trying to assure herself that this was really happening and that Shad wasn’t going to fade away again.

“I missed you so much,” she whispered, kissing him again. “I thought I’d have to wait years and years to see you again!”

“How long did you wait? It’s been about…two and a half Earth months here,” Shad told her.

“The same for me,” Harper told him.

“I wonder if the Goddess was evening up the time for us—letting us experience the same level of misery for some reason,” Shad murmured thoughtfully. “I suppose that’s certainly much more fair than you having to wait twenty years for me while I would have gotten to see you immediately after coming back to my own time. If I could have found you,” he added.

Harper laughed. “Have you been looking?”

“Of course! I began searching for you the minute I turned up naked in the Sacred Grove. Speaking of naked…” He looked around but Peace had left the Grove, no doubt to give him and Harper privacy for their reunion.

Shad put Harper down for a moment and unbuttoned his green uniform shirt to drape it around her shoulders. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and smiled gratefully. It was so long on her it fell to her mid-thighs, almost like an oversized dress.

“Thank you, baby. So you were looking all over for me?”

“Your mother said you’d gone off to be with some strange Kindred you fell in love with.” Shad laughed. “I guess I was that Kindred, huh?”

“You were. Your younger self came and told me it was time to go to the Mother Ship.” She frowned. “Wait—you don’t remember that?”

Shad shook his head. “A different time path, I guess.”

Harper looked thoughtful.

“The Time Warden must have merged several threads of time to get us both to this point. It’s kind of confusing but I don’t really care as long as we’re together.”

“I agree.” He stroked her cheek and smiled at her. “Come on—I want to introduce you to my brothers and cousins. You’ll be meeting them again for the first time—this time under much happier circumstances.”

“Of course I want to meet them,” Harper said. “But can you tell me about my Mom? Is she—?”

“She’s fine,” Shad assured her. “She’s extremely spry for her age.” He sobered a little. “I’m afraid your stepfather passed on though, several years ago. She lives by herself in a retirement community. Maybe we can bring her up to the Mother Ship to be with us.”

“Could we really?” Harper looked at him hopefully. “I mean, we just got bonded. Are you sure you want your mother-in-law living near us?”

Shad shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Your mother-in-law—my mother, Kat, will be living near us, here on the Mother Ship. What’s the difference?”

“Oh, I love your mom!” Harper gushed. “She’s the one who finally listened to little Shad—the younger you—and came to see me. She convinced me to come back to the Mother Ship and try to get back to you.” She frowned. “I wonder if she’ll remember me? The Time Warden told me you and I will be the only ones to remember the alternate timeline where we met and fell in love. He said that your brothers and cousins and friends—all the ones who were with you fighting in the Resistance all those years after the Hive took over—won’t get it.”

“I’ve already told Peace and he believed me,” Shad pointed out. “And whether my mother remembers you or not, I’m sure she’s going to love you. Everybody here is.” He looked at her hungrily. “But you know, now that I have you with me, I find that I don’t really want to share you with anyone else. At least, not right away. Why don’t we let them wait a little while?”

Harper batted her lashes and gave a little purr of desire.

“Hmmm…what did you have in mind, baby?”

“My suite—our suite—isn’t far from here,” Shad murmured, letting a hand trail down the curve of her waist. “How about if we go back to it and spend some time sealing our bond all over again? I want to suck your sweet nipples and feel your pussy all tight and wet around my shaft.”

Harper sucked in a breath, her jade green eyes going half-lidded with lust.

“How fast can we get there?” She stood on tiptoes and pulled him down for a passionate kiss. “I can’t wait to have you inside me again,” she whispered in a low, sultry voice that Shad swore he could feel all the way down to his balls.

“Gods, Kallana…” He swung her into his arms and held her tight. “I know a short cut through the Sacred Grove. Come on.”

And the two of them vanished into the trees together.

Epilogue #1

Back in the Present

When all was still—when the invading hordes of Kindred had left and there was nothing but silence in the long, echoing tunnels under the mountains of the planet the Earthlings called Mars—the scholar-worker at last emerged. He had been hiding in a tiny cavern deep in the subterranean depths, waiting for the carnage to end. Access was limited by a long, narrow, convoluted tunnel which led into the heart of the red rock mountain itself and the entrance was camouflaged by a heap of stones and rubble.

The scholar-worker came forth slowly, hampered by his need to carry the small, precious burden he had hidden away so many days ago—his personal pet project. Sovereign X'izith had objected to it on the grounds that it was a perversion of all the Hive stood for, but the scholar-worker had persisted in his work. Now he was glad he had done so.

“Here we are,” he buzzed gently, holding the tiny gestation tube, no larger than an Earthling’s palm, close to his thorax for warmth. The workers whose glowing abdomens had supplied the tunnels with heat and light and oxygen had been killed along with all the rest. The scholar needed none of these things but the egg within the tube did—at least it needed heat for now. Later it would also want light and air.

It was a hybrid—or would be when it grew. A being composed of Sovereign X’izith’s DNA and the genetic material of a Kindred warrior, collected in one of the early skirmishes with that race. It—he, for the egg within the gestation tube was male—would never have the majestic appearance of the Sovereign who was its partial father. On the outside he would look like any other Kindred warrior—although perhaps larger than most. But he would have X’izith’s memories—his dreams and aspirations.

He would carry on the legacy of the Hive and do what X’izith himself had been unable to do—subdue the Kindred race to his will.

“The Nameless Ones, Gods of Nothing let it be so,” the scholar-worker murmured, stroking the tube gently. “You shall grow young one—grow and conquer that the Hive may live forever.”

Epilogue #2

Also Present Day

“So how was your meeting with the Mistress?” Baird took a sip of his Junian ale. The dark pink liquid fizzed and bubbled, the bubbles turning a bright green just before they popped. It was a specialty of the small bar near the control center of the Mother Ship. Since Sylvan was the Head of the Kindred High Council and the bar was close by, the brothers had taken to coming here to relax at the end of a long day.

“Well enough,” Sylvan said but it was clear the false heartiness he forced into his voice didn’t fool his brother.

“Well enough, huh?” Baird asked flatly. “It was bound to be fucking weird meeting face-to-face with one of those Yonnie Six females who thinks all males are scum under their boots. What did she do—try to break you to her will?”

“No—no, nothing like that.” Sylvan sighed and took a sip of his own ale. “She had no need of me—she had a slave with her already.”

He frowned as he remembered the troubling encounter with the Yonnite Mistress…

He hadn’t wanted a face-to-face meeting but Mistress Hellenix had insisted and since the cargo he was delivering was precious, Sylvan had felt bound to agree.

The cargo in question were the Druvian E’lo stones which had been found among Sovereign X’izith’s possessions when the lair under the mountains of Mars had been sacked. There was one seer stone—a large green one as big as the palm of his hand—and one smaller, purple stone, about the size and shape of the small chocolate Earth candies called M&Ms.

When the stones had been discovered, Sylvan had attempted to return them to the auction house they had been stolen from. However, he was informed that a private buyer had already bought and paid for the stones before they had been taken. Sylvan was asked to return the rare gems to their rightful owner and he had agreed—though he was sorry he had when he found out exactly who he would be meeting.

The stones had been claimed by Mistress Hellenix, a prominent member of the Yonnite social scene. Apparently she owned a large estate outside their capital city of Opulex where she held court at a number of functions. She also owned several other properties both on and off planet and traveled more than most Mistresses, many of whom tended to stay within their little female-dominated bubble on Yonnie Six.

Sylvan found out these facts because he did some research into the matter before he met with the Mistress—he didn’t like to go into any meeting blind—no matter how brief or perfunctory.

Mistress Hellenix had swept into the private room she’d rented for the purpose, on a space port orbiting Garna D’na—a planet almost exactly halfway between Earth and Yonnie Six. It was the meeting place she had requested and Sylvan had seen no reason to object.

“So… Commander Sylvan of the Kindred.” She had looked him up and down as Sylvan rose courteously and bowed.

“Mistress Hellenix. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Likewise, I’m sure,” the Mistress purred. She didn’t offer to shake hands or clasp arms for which Sylvan was grateful. He had no wish to touch her, lovely though she was.

“Please, have a seat.” He motioned to the chair across from him.

“When I’m ready. You look like a strapping boy,” she remarked, circling Sylvan in her six-inch black heeled boots—like a tiger stalking its prey, he thought—before finally dropping gracefully onto the purple tergle-hide cushion of the seat he’d offered her.

“I am average for my kind,” he said neutrally. “All Kindred males are large.”

“Indeed they are. Even so, I’m surprised some enterprising Mistress hasn’t brought you to heel.” She smiled, her lush crimson lips parting to reveal white, even teeth. “I’d be willing to undertake the enterprise myself if I wasn’t so busy.”

“Thank you but I already have a mate whom I love very much,” Sylvan replied blandly, thinking that if Sophia could see Mistress Hellenix she would probably have some choice words for her—the term “man-eater” leapt readily to mind.

“Never mind that.” Mistress Hellenix waved one hand languidly. She had long, straight black hair which fell like a curtain around her exquisite features framing her large dark eyes and crimson lips. “I already have a Kindred of my own, anyway.” She raised one bejeweled hand and snapped her fingers sharply. “Slave! Where are you? Why are you dawdling outside the doorway instead of protecting me as you’re supposed to?”

A massive male came into the room—big even by Kindred standards. He had long, wheat-colored hair which hung to his shoulders and his eyes were pure, piercing silver.

Sylvan frowned and looked more closely. Silver eyes? Which kind of Kindred was this male? The only warriors who had pure silver eyes and attained such large size were the Volt Kindred. But they had all been killed off years ago when the artificial intelligence they allowed to run their world systems had become self-aware and rebelled, murdering them all. Now the entire planet was completely uninhabitable—run and ruled entirely by machines which were hostile to any organic life forms.

It was a great tragedy among Kindred kind and also the main reason why AI usage aboard the Mother Ship was strictly monitored. No one wanted a repeat of what had happened on Uriel Two, the Volt Kindred’s adopted home world.

“Brother?” Sylvan said, speaking to the slave. But the massive warrior ignored him. He was, Sylvan saw, dressed completely in shiny black leather with a thick collar cinched cruelly tight around his brawny neck. Even if he was a Volt Kindred, it was clear he wasn’t able to use his natural abilities to free himself. The collar probably saw to that—inhibiting his power and giving him a nasty shock when the Mistress wished it to.

“I’m afraid he speaks only to me and only when commanded to do so,” Mistress Hellenix snapped at Sylvan.

“He is a living, sentient being—a free creature,” Sylvan growled back. To the Seven Hells with diplomacy. He couldn’t sit by and watch one of his Kindred brothers treated like this! “You cannot subjugate another to your will in this way—it isn’t right.”

“Not right, you say?” The Mistress gave a throaty laugh. “But my Malik responds so well to subjugation.” She snapped her fingers again. “Mal, on your knees before me.’

Without hesitation, the massive male dropped to his knees before his mistress’s chair.

“Now then…” Sitting up from her sensuous slouch, Mistress Hellenix waved a hand in front of her tight leather bustier. The black leather melted away like magic, leaving her full breasts bare. One nipple, Sylvan saw, was coated in bright, sparkling red and gold powder of some kind—almost like colored sugar crystals. The other was dusted in the same way but the sparkling powder covering it was a cool blue and white.

“I really don’t see—” he began but Mistress Hellenix shushed him with one upraised hand.

“You will, Commander Sylvan,” she murmured. “Now then, Malik—which shall it be?” she crooned. “The bitter or the sweet? Fire or ice?”

“Whatever my Mistress wills.” The slave’s deep voice was utterly without inflection. Truly, he seemed not to care what happened to him.

“Well then—let it be fire. For it is my wish that you have pain, my pet. Show your kinsman how willingly you will endure agony for me.”

Again, without hesitation, the massive Kindred leaned forward and sucked the red and gold dusted nipple into his mouth. He was so tall, compared to his rather diminutive Mistress, that even on his knees before her he had to duck his head to capture her peak in his mouth. But he did it without expression, sucking her deep and hard without stopping although sweat almost immediately sprang up on his brow.

“Mmmm…that’s good.” Mistress Hellenix stroked his long, wheat-colored hair approvingly. “Does it pain you, my Malik? Does it make your shaft ache? How long has it been since I allowed you out of your little chastity cage, hmm?”

The huge warrior made no answer but simply continued sucking. Looking between his legs, Sylvan saw with horror that there was, indeed, some kind of cage attached to his genitals which were visible outside the tight leather trousers he wore. The cage appeared to be made of some kind of silver wire and it hung low between his thighs as though to accommodate his massive size while keeping his shaft from being accessible to his hands.

To an untrained eye it might appear that the Kindred slave was performing willingly—or even enjoying himself. But along with the sweat that beaded the Volt Kindred’s brow, Sylvan saw that his hands were clenched into huge fists. And tiny silver sparks of pure power were jumping from knuckle to knuckle. Hmm…perhaps he had been wrong about the male not being able to use his powers.

“All right,” he said hoarsely. “You’ve proved your point. I see that he’ll do anything you want—you can stop your sadistic little demonstration.”

The Mistress waved one hand negligently.

“Sit back, Malik.”

The slave sat back on his heels, his face still completely expressionless. But was that a spark of pure hatred, burning down deep in the silver depths of his eyes? If so, he hid it well. But Sylvan could see he was still sweating—his hands still clenching by his sides. No matter how iron his self-control it was clear he was in horrible pain.

“What have you done to him?” he asked, more upset than ever as the doctor part of him protested this cruel treatment. “Is he still hurting?”

“Oh yes—of course. The pain will continue until I let him suck my other nipple—where the antidote to the fire dust is located.” She smiled languidly. “I’ll do that presently. But first, where are my stones?”

“Here.” Sylvan thought about holding the valuable stones hostage until she agreed to release her Kindred slave. But they weren’t his to bargain with since the auction house was involved. Unhappily, he unwrapped the stones from the clean, white cloth he’d brought them in and thrust them out, careful not to touch them directly with his bare skin.

“Ahh…at last, my E’lo stones,” Mistress Hellenix gloated, leaning over Sylvan’s proffered hand. She frowned. “I see the seer stone and one of the transport stones—but where is the other?”

“That one was lost when the Hive used it to transport an Earth female to their lair,” Sylvan said stiffly. “We are still searching for it but it may have been swept into the Earth’s oceans. Where it is now is anyone’s guess.”

“One transport stone isn’t much use without the other, now is it?” the Yonnite Mistress snapped. She sighed. “Ah well—they’re for display purposes only anyway. Though I want the missing stone immediately if it’s found.”

“Of course.” Sylvan nodded. “But I would be cautious with the one remaining transport stone if I were you. Though they were reconfigured by the Hive to bring one particular female from Earth to Mars, they were originally intended to cause two people in different parts of the Universe to switch places in an instant. If someone on Earth was to find the missing stone and touch it, just as you were touching that one—”

“Oh, please!” The Yonnite Mistress laughed as though he’d said something crazy. “Everyone knows the stones don’t actually work anymore—not as they were intended to. They’re only useful as curiosities—collector’s pieces. Besides, in order for them to function in that way the person picking up the stone would have to be a virtual doppelganger of me—almost my genetic twin. Do you know how rare that is?” She frowned and rose, cupping the stones in their white cloth carefully in her palms. “I can’t see the clarity of these as I’d like to.”

“The lighting in this room is dim,” Sylvan said. “Outside in the hall it’s much brighter.”

“Indeed?” Nodding to herself, Mistress Hellenix made her way out of the small room, apparently unconcerned that her bare breasts were still fully on display.

The minute the door slid shut behind her, Sylvan turned to the big slave.

“Listen to me, Brother,” he said urgently. “I’m going to get you out of here. I’ll make an offer to buy you from Mistress Hellenix. If she refuses the offer, I’ll find another way. I—”

“Save it,” the Volt Kindred snapped, cutting him off. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“What?” Sylvan couldn’t have been more shocked if the massive warrior had suddenly turned into a bird and flown away. “Why not?” he demanded.

“I have my reasons,” Malik growled. “Think I let myself be captured by accident? Think I stay with her for the fun of it?” He jerked his head at the doorway, indicating his Mistress, still out in the hall. “Not Goddess-damned likely.”

“What reasons?” Sylvan demanded. “Do you enjoy this kind of treatment?”

The silver eyes flashed and sparked. For a moment, it seemed that jagged forks of lightening were about to break free of their silvery surface.

“Fuck, no I don’t enjoy it!” Malik snarled. “It’s fucking sick the perverted things she does to me!” He nodded down to the wire mesh cage locked around his shaft. “You think I enjoy this shit? Seven Hells, no! But it’s necessary to—”

“Yes, they’re genuine.” Mistress Hellenix came strolling back in, her full breasts still completely exposed. “Oh, Malik,” she cooed, looking down at the huge warrior still kneeling on the carpet. “I forgot all about you—are you still in pain?”

“My pain will endure as long as my Mistress wills it,” the Volt Kindred answered stoically.

“Poor baby!” She stood in front of him and pressed her breasts into his face. “Go on—take the sweet to put out the fire,” she urged.

With a low groan of relief, Malik leaned forward and sucked the nipple with the blue and white dust on it. At once the sweat standing out on his brow began to dry and after a moment, he started to shiver and his lips turned positively blue.

“Oh dear…” Mistress Hellenix gave a mischievous giggle. “Did I mix too much ice dust into the sweet powder again? You’d better stop, Mal, before your tongue becomes an ice cube.”

Malik pulled back again and again his face was completely impassive—except for that tiny spark of hatred far back in his silver eyes.

Sylvan wondered how the Yonnite Mistress failed to see that dark emotion. Didn’t it worry her to have one so big and powerful who hated her so intensely this close to her? Or did she relish the warrior’s hate and count it as a kind of spice to her play?

Whatever the answer, it was clear there wasn’t much Sylvan could do about the situation—not if Malik didn’t want to be free.

“I must go,” he said, rising from his chair. “I need to get back to the Mother Ship.”

“Indeed,” Mistress Hellenix purred, smiling up at him. “Well do take care of yourself, Commander. And don’t forget to let me know if you locate my missing transport stone.”

Sylvan nodded curtly and then looked once more at the big Volt Kindred, still on his knees before his mistress. The male’s lips were blue, as though he’d just been exposed to the deepest winter on Sylvan’s home world of Tranq Prime.

“I wish you the best, Malik. You know where the Mother Ship is.”

“It might as well be in a parallel universe for all my sweet Malik is concerned.” Reaching into some hidden pocket, Mistress Hellenix pulled out a long leather leash and clipped it to the silver ring on the front of Malik’s collar. “Since he’ll never get free of me to get there. Not that he wants freedom, do you my sweet?”

“Why would I wish to be free of my Mistress?” he rumbled, his face a closed mask. “She gives me everything I need.”

“Including regular canings.” She tugged at the leash. “Come, Malik. I find I’m eager to cane you now and watch those hard, firm buttocks turn the color of a Synthian sunset.” She winked at Sylvan. “I’ll be thinking of you while I do it, Commander. In fact, I do believe you’ll provide me with some very rewarding fantasies for quite some time to come.”

Sylvan had no idea what to say to such a thing. Knowing that the Yonnite Mistress was going to be fantasizing about him while she beat her slave and perhaps did…other things…was disconcerting to say the least.

“Safe…safe journeys,” he managed to say at last.

“Indeed. I think I’ll be able to come to my destination without too much trouble.” Mistress Hellenix gave him a last, lascivious look and then jerked on the black leather leash in her hands. “Come, Malik.”

Without a word, or a single backward glance, the massive Volt Kindred rose to his feet and followed his Mistress out of the room.

Bemused, Sylvan watched them go. And then, at last, he took his own leave.

“Fuck,” Baird muttered when Sylvan finished telling the story. “So she dragged him out by a leash and he just let her?”

Sylvan shrugged. “He went willingly. He must have a good reason to be with her.”

“Maybe he’s looking for something,” Baird suggested. “Remember we sent Thornex to go undercover as a slave for a Yonnite Mistress.”

“Yes, but Thorn fell in love with his Mistress and brought her back to us,” Sylvan reminded him. “I don’t think there is any danger of Malik falling for Mistress Hellenix. In fact, if I had to guess, I’d say he genuinely loathes her.”

“You think we should try to do something for him? Rescue him somehow?” Baird shook his head. “I hate to think of one of our brothers being enslaved in circumstances like that. No matter what he told you he can’t be happy.”

Sylvan sighed. “If he was native to the Mother Ship I’d say yes, we have to go after him. But I’m fairly certain he was a Volt Kindred and you know how volatile they can be.”

“Strong too,” Baird growled. “The way they conduct electricity—I watched an old vid of it once…” He shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Sylvan took another sip of his drink thoughtfully.

“My gut feeling is that Malik can take care of himself,” he said. “I think when he gets what he wants from Mistress Hellenix and he’s ready to leave, he’ll go. I don’t believe she’ll be able to hold him.”

“All right, so leave him be. But what about the E’lo stones?” Baird asked. “Those things can be fucking dangerous in the wrong hands. Are we really going to give the missing one back to this sadistic Mistress Hellenix if someone finds it?”

Sylvan shook his head. “I don’t know. I’d have to take it under serious consideration but honestly, I doubt anyone is ever going to find the missing stone. No one has any idea where it went although Harper did say she was taken from a beach somewhere near St. Petersburg on Earth.” He frowned. “That was before she ‘vanished’ out of our time line.”

“Did she really go into the future?” Baird asked.

Sylvan shrugged. “That’s what Kat told Sophia and me. She was in the Sacred Grove when the time door opened and the Goddess called Harper through into the future.”

Baird shook his head. “It’s amazing but pretty damn confusing. All this time-traveling crap gives me a headache.”

“It’s enough to know that the Goddess is watching out for us,” Sylvan said.

“And what about Shad—the younger Shad, I mean?” Baird combed a hand through his hair and rumbled laughter. “Gods, it’s strange to say it like that. But have you talked to Deep and Lock lately? Is the little guy all right?”

“No more nightmares,” Sylvan reported. “Deep says he told Kat that the “pretty lady” is happy and safe.”

“Well good.” Baird grinned. “Then I guess we know for certain everything came out just fine."

“For us.” Sylvan frowned. “But I can’t help it, Brother—my mind still turns back to Malik. I didn’t even know any Volt Kindred survived the decimation of their planet.”

“It’s like you said, if he wants to get away from her, he can,” Baird said. “You have to let it go, Sylvan. You have enough on your plate running the Mother Ship.”

“You’re probably right.” Sylvan sighed. But he couldn’t help thinking of that spark of hate glinting in the depths of Malik’s pure silver eyes. Why was he with the cruel Mistress Hellenix? What did he hope to accomplish? And what of the missing E’lo stone? Where had it gone? Would it ever be found? And who would find it?

Sylvan sighed. These were mysteries too deep for him—best left to the Goddess.

He just hoped everything would work out well in…

The End?

Good Goddess, no!

In fact, what we have here is another beginning.

For years people have been asking me to write books about the Kindred kids and, as you can see, Vanished is a lead-in to that, as well as being a continuation of the main Kindred series.

I can now write in two different time lines—the present where Sylvan and Sophia and Baird and Liv and Kat and Deep and Lock and all the rest are, and also in the future, where Shad and War and Peace and the rest of the Kindred kids are all grown up and ready to have adventures of their own.

I’m especially interested in telling Kara’s story (it’s hard to find a warrior who wants to date a girl with fangs) as well as writing how War and Peace convince Ziza they ought to be together. (Ziza has a mind of her own and she’s going to give our boys a run for their money.)

I’m also excited to write Brides of the Kindred 22. Why is Malik allowing the cruel Mistress Hellenix to abuse him—what is his plan and reason for staying with her instead of breaking free? Where is that last E’lo transport stone and who is going to find it? What’s going to happen when they do?

Those of you who follow me on Facebook know I also have another idea for my Kindred Tales series, about a race of giant Kindred (8-9 feet tall) who bond with normal sized women. That one kind of jumped to the head of the muse's line and it will be coming out in late February or early March. Read on below for a taste of Taming the Giant.

And after that, who knows? If only I could clone myself and write all three series at once. But thank you all for being patient—I hope to have multiple books in The Brides of the Kindred, the Children of the Kindred, and the Kindred Tales series (which stands outside the main Kindred storyline) out this year. Oh, and I also want to write Cougarville 4, Big Bad Wolf, and possibly Alien Mate Index 5…and whatever else the muse brings me.

Which one is coming after Taming the Giant? You’ll have to keep reading to find out. ; ) In the meantime, I hope you’re all having a Happy New Year!

Hugs and Happy Reading

Evangeline Jan 2018

Now Read on for a sneak peek at Taming the Giant, the next Kindred Tales novel coming at the end of February or the beginning of March…

Taming the Giant

A Kindred Tales novel

The Princess and the Giant…

Meet the Jor’gen Kindred. After leaving the main Mother Ship centuries ago to make a genetic trade with a massive race of people, they are thirty percent bigger than their ancestors. Which makes them 9 feet tall—giants to regular sized humanoids. Now, hundreds of years after the genetic trade which made them so huge, the Jor’gen Kindred have no more females and are seeking a new people to trade with. Bram, their captain, has been dream-sharing with a female from a small, cold, rocky planet at the far edge of the galaxy. The problem? She’s tiny compared to him.

Alanah is the ruler of her people but not by choice. After a plague carried off all the men and boys, including her father the king, she and the female members of her pre-industrial society were left to fend for themselves. Alanah has always felt like an outsider. Not only is she a princess but she’s considered much too tall for a woman. The other ladies at court sneer at her behind her back, wondering where she will ever find a man big enough to take her on.

Enter Bram, a giant three feet taller than Alanah. Suddenly the formerly too-tall princess is feeling positively petite. But Alanah’s planet is stuck in the Dark Ages and Kindred technology looks like magic to them—black magic. Can Alanah overcome the will of the Elder Witch and convince her people the giant race is safe to join with? And can she and Bram overcome their differences—both physical and emotional—to have Bonding Sex?

You’ll have to read Taming the Giant to find out.

Also by Evangeline Anderson

***All Kindred novels are now available in PRINT just follow the links below to find both e-book and print formats on Amazon.

***Also, all Kindred novels are on their way to Audio, join my Audiobook Newsletter to be notified when they come out.

Brides of the Kindred series

Claimed     (Also available in Audio)

Hunted       (Also available in Audio)

Sought       (Also Available in Audio)

Found        (Also Available in Audio )

Revealed    (Also Available in Audio)

Pursued       (Coming soon to Audio)

Exiled

Shadowed

Chained

Divided

Devoured

Enhanced

Cursed

Enslaved

Targeted

Forgotten

Switched

Uncharted

Unbound

Surrendered

Vanished

Kindred Tales series (side stories in the Brides of the Kindred which stand alone outside the main story arc.)

Mastering the Mistress

Bonding with the Beast

Seeing with the Heart

Freeing the Prisoner

Healing the Broken (a Kindred Christmas novel)

Taming the Giant (coming soon)

Born to Darkness series

Crimson Debt (Also available in Audio)

Scarlet Heat    (Also available in Audio)

Ruby Shadows (Also available in Audio)

Cardinal Sins (Coming Soon)

Alien Mate Index series

Abducted (Also available in Print and Audio)

Protected (Also available in Print and Audio)

Descended (Also available in Print and Audio)

Severed (Also available in Print and Audio )

The Cougarville Series

Buck Naked  (Also available in Audio)

Cougar Bait (Also available in Audio)

Stone Cold Fox (Also available in Audio)

Big Bad Wolf (coming soon)

The Institute series

The Institute: Daddy Issues(Also available in Audio)

The Institute: Mishka's Spanking

Compendiums

Brides of the Kindred Volume One

Contains Claimed, Hunted, Sought and Found all in one volume

Born to Darkness Box Set

Contains Crimson Debt, Scarlet Heat, and Ruby Shadows all in one volume

Stand Alone Novels

Purity (Now available in Audio)

Stress Relief

The Last Man on Earth

Anyone U Want

Shadow Dreams

Hunger Moon Rising

Cougar Christmas

Planet X (Also available in Audio)

Deal with the Devil (Also available in Audio)

The Sacrifice (Also available in Audio)

Blood Kiss

YA Novels

The Academy(Now available in Audio)

**Please note--these are Amazon/Kindle links. If you have a Nook or other reading device, please check my website for links to all other formats

About the Author

Evangeline Anderson is the New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Brides of the Kindred, Alien Mate Index, Cougarville, and Born to Darkness series. She is forty-something and lives in Florida with a husband, a son, and two cats. She had been writing erotic fiction for her own gratification for a number of years before it occurred to her to try and get paid for it. To her delight, she found that it was actually possible to get money for having a dirty mind and she has been writing paranormal and Sci-fi erotica steadily ever since.

You can find her online at her website www.evangelineanderson.com

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Table of Contents

- Vanished

- Evangeline Anderson

- Prologue

- Chapter One

- Chapter Two

- Chapter Three

- Chapter Four

- Chapter Five

- Chapter Six

- Chapter Seven

- Chapter Eight

- Chapter Nine

- Chapter Ten

- Chapter Eleven

- Chapter Twelve

- Chapter Thirteen

- Chapter Fourteen

- Chapter Fifteen

- Chapter Sixteen

- Chapter Seventeen

- Chapter Eighteen

- Chapter Nineteen

- Chapter Twenty

- Chapter Twenty-one

- Chapter Twenty-two

- Chapter Twenty-three

- Chapter Twenty-four

- Chapter Twenty-five

- Chapter Twenty-six

- Chapter Twenty-seven

- Chapter Twenty-eight

- Chapter Twenty-nine

- Chapter Thirty

- Chapter Thirty-one

- Chapter Thirty-two

- Chapter Thirty-three

- Epilogue #1

- Epilogue #2

- The End?

- Now Read on for a sneak peek at Taming the Giant, the next Kindred Tales novel coming at the end of February or the beginning of March…

- Taming the Giant

- Also by Evangeline Anderson

- Brides of the Kindred series

- Taming the Giant (coming soon)

- Cardinal Sins (Coming Soon)

- The Cougarville Series

- Big Bad Wolf (coming soon)

- About the Author

Table of Contents

Vanished

Evangeline Anderson

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-eight

Chapter Twenty-nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-one

Chapter Thirty-two

Chapter Thirty-three

Epilogue #1

Epilogue #2

The End?

Now Read on for a sneak peek at Taming the Giant, the next Kindred Tales novel coming at the end of February or the beginning of March…

Taming the Giant

Also by Evangeline Anderson

Brides of the Kindred series

Taming the Giant (coming soon)

Cardinal Sins (Coming Soon)

The Cougarville Series

Big Bad Wolf (coming soon)

About the Author